Drone News Roundup: Extreme Mountain Biking with the Inspire 3, US House Passes DJI Ban, and More!

This week we’re covering a new extreme mountain biking video shot on the DJI Inspire 3.

We’re also covering the House’s passage of the DJI ban as a standalone law, Sky Elements making it to the finals on America’s Got Talent, the new Trace drone from Vantage Robotics, and Skyfire merging with Echelon AI to form Skyfire AI.

Now let’s get to those links!

Extreme Mountain Biking Shot on the Inspire 3

Shot in Virgin, UT, and titled Oasis, this short film follows pro mountain biker Reed Boggs as he “discovers, builds, and rides a never before ridden Red Bull Rampage style freeride line.” If you’ve ever seen Red Bull rampage, that means a truly crazy mountain biking line. The video was made by media production company Après Visuals, which used an Inspire 3 for the aerial shots. Follow the link below for a behind-the-scenes look at how the video was made from DJI.

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US House Passes DJI Ban Law

Credit: DJI

There’s been another development in the ongoing DJI ban saga: the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Countering CCP Drones Act as a standalone bill called H.R.2864. The law has been commonly called the DJI Ban law because, if it passes, DJI will effectively be banned from operating in the U.S. It was originally tied to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual bill Congress passes to fund the military. Tying drone legislation to the NDAA has proven successful in the past—last year, the American Security Drone Act (ASDA), which bans DJI drones at the federal level, passed as part of the 2024 NDAA. But now the House has passed a standalone version of the bill, apparently in the hopes of getting it passed more quickly. It’s unlikely the bill will get passed in the Senate, since so far the bill has been voted for largely along party lines with Republicans largely voting in favor, and Democrats against. (Republicans hold the majority in the House, and Democrats hold the majority in the Senate.)

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Sky Elements Advances to Finals on America’s Got Talent

Over the last few years, Sky Elements has made a name for itself as one of the top drone light show companies in the world. And its recent performance on America’s Got Talents only serves to reinforce the company’s dominance. Taking the live T.V. show outside the studio, the Sky Elements team wowed the judges with a light show that featured a tribute to Preston Ward’s daughter, who passed away in 2020. Over 1,200 drones were used in the show, which impressed the judges so much that Sky Elements was moved to the finals.

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Vantage Robotics Launches the Trace, a Tiny Drone for Surveillance

Vantage Robotics, maker of the Blue UAS-approved Vesper, has launched a new drone called the Trace. The Trace is a sophisticated, small drone made for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) applications. Although the Trace doesn’t yet have Blue UAS approval, the company is currently pursuing it.

Here are the main specs for the Trace:

• Weight. .33 pounds (153 grams).
• Flight time. Over 30 minutes on a single battery charge
• Camera. 48MP visible light camera; 320x240p thermal camera. Both cameras have 24x zoom capability.
• Range.1.2 miles (2 kilometers).
• Airframe. Folding design made of titanium and carbon fiber

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Skyfire Merges with Echelon AI to Form Skyfire AI

 

Skyfire Consulting has made a name for itself as the top company for helping public safety agencies launch drone programs. In line with that reputation, it’s been a key partner in helping several police departments launch Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs, as well as the first joint police/fire department DFR program in Fremont, CA, earlier this year. Now, Skyfire has been acquired by Echelon AI, a company backed by Andrew Ng’s AI Fund that’s known for making autonomy and swarming technology for drones. As a result, Skyfire is now Skyfire AI, a new enterprise focused on “integrating bleeding edge Artificial Intelligence with UAV/UAS technologies to revolutionize critical missions for public safety and global defense applications.”

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