PCMag UK drones

Robot pool cleaners that operate purely underwater are exempt, but not 'dual use' ones that can operate from floor to surface, according to an update to the FCC's FAQ. It looks like pool cleaning robots can fall under the US’s foreign-made robot ban if the products operate at surface water level. The FCC has updated an FAQ about the ban, which previously left it unclear if pool cleaning robots we…

Atlanta, Boise, Chicago, Cleveland, and Syracuse are among the locations Amazon plans to bring Prime Air this year. Amazon has announced plans to expand its Prime Air drone-delivery service to 500 cities and towns across the US by the end of this year. The expansion would make the company’s airborne deliveries available in as many as 12 states, five more than the existing seven. The company didn’…

The Versa, which includes a handheld vlogging camera and a set of propellers to turn it into a drone, launches today on Indiegogo. It looks like the modular design allows it to circumvent the US ban. Editors' Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional information and comments provided by a HoverAir representative. HoverAir, an imprint of China's Zero Zero Robotics, has the dubious ho…

The ride-hailing company is partnering with drone delivery provider Zipline to pull off the ambitious goal which will involve Uber Eats. Uber is making a major push in drone delivery. On Monday, the company announced an ambitious goal “to reach one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029,” through a new partnership. To pull this off, Uber is working with the drone delivery provider …

Drones were just the canary in the coal mine. Washington's crusade against foreign tech is about to make the gadgets you rely on outrageously expensive—or impossible to buy. I made my first drone flight more than a dozen years ago, taking the controls of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ for a review here at PCMag. Since then, drone tech has gotten way better. Now, even consumer models …

After a Supreme Court loss earlier this year, the Trump administration is using a different authority to add a 25% tariff on smaller drones, and a 100% tariff on larger models. If you’re looking to buy a new drone , brace for potential price hikes: The Trump administration is imposing new tariffs on imported drones and their components. The US is becoming "too reliant on foreign sources" of drone…

Following its ban on new foreign-made drones and DJI cameras, the FCC is starting to revoke authorization for devices it previously approved. Here's what it means for drone owners and buyers. It's been months since the FCC took the unprecedented step of adding all foreign drones and handheld DJI camera gear to its Covered List, a registry of equipment that's not allowed to be sold in the US. We'v…

In a Thursday email, DJI encouraged enterprise customers to submit FCC comments opposing a plan to retroactively ban LiDAR-equipped foreign-made drones. Chinese vendor DJI is encouraging customers to help it fight a US government proposal that threatens to retroactively ban some of its drones . The company is using social media and email to rally its user base, …

What started as a ban on foreign drones is rapidly spreading to routers, robot vacuums, and portable power stations—and consumers are going to pay the price. I initially got into drones as a fascinating piece of tech centered on video and photography—the core of my beat here at PCMag. It's been nearly a dozen years since I took my first flight with the DJI Phantom Vision 2+ , and in …

The FCC revoked the device authorization after it caught the mysterious firm lying about its drone, which appears to be based on tech from China's DJI. The Federal Communications Commission is cracking down on a company accused of falsifying records to try and sell a suspected DJI-made drone in the US. On Tuesday, the FCC revoked the equipment authorization for a drone from Odyssey Robot, which h…

Following its ban on new foreign-made drones and DJI cameras, the FCC is now revoking prior approvals for existing devices. Here's what it means for current owners and prospective buyers. It's been months since the FCC took the unprecedented step of adding all foreign drones and handheld DJI camera gear to its Covered List, a registry of equipment that's not allowed to be sold in the US. We've al…

Texas-based Anzu Robotics has been accused of acting as a pass-through company for DJI. The Federal Communications Commission is looking to retroactively ban another provider of DJI drone technology, Texas-based Anzu Robotics. The FCC published details about the proposed ban today, three weeks after it took similar action to retroactively revoke drone approvals for nine other vendors …

Many photographers and videographers will be surprised to learn that the FCC considers camera drones with LiDAR obstacle avoidance, like the consumer-grade Air 3S, Avata 360, and Mini 5 Pro, to be weapons of war. The FCC's latest attack on the drone industry flew past our radar, but is gaining attention after DJI called it out on its ViewPoints blog . The agency issued a public notice on July 21 …

Looking for a drone you can buy right now? The top models we've tested—and that are currently available in the US—can elevate your filmmaking, deliver stunning perspectives for travel vlogs, and, of course, are seriously fun to fly. Are Camera Drones Banned in the US? The past calendar year was a rough one for creators who rely on consumer camera drones for work, and shutterbugs who appreciate ho…

DoorDash, which already does limited drone deliveries with Wing, will build and operate its own package-delivery drones under a new unit called DoorDash Air. DoorDash will soon build and operate its own drones . The company has received Part 135 air carrier certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing it to deliver packages by drone at altitudes below 400 feet .

The FCC retroactively revokes device approvals from DJI clone brands, including Skyrover and Xtra. Barring a change of heart, their products will go on the Covered List within a month. Editors' Note 7/28: This story was updated with a comment from Xtra. Content creators and drone enthusiasts who thought that DJI had figured out how to sidestep its position on the FCC Covered List will have to thi…

Quantum Systems Group wants its drones to help Ukraine defeat Russia, so it's been pushing them to their maximum performance. German unmanned drone developer Quantum Systems Group has announced a near-700km/h (435mph) flight for its Apex Recordhunter drone, potentially snagging a world record in the process. It's also going for the record for fastest drone carrying a pound of explosives and the r…

Not surprisingly, Potensic's first release after the FCC foreign drone ban doesn't look like it's coming to the US. It's a shame, as the Atom 3 offers some notable upgrades over the Atom 2. Potensic isn't known for making high-end drones, but its budget-friendly Atom series is the go-to for many first time pilots, as well as real estate photographers and photographers who simply don't need some o…

We do a lot of product testing in the friendly confines of PC Labs, but drones call for wide-open spaces, so we take them out for test flights in the real world. Here's what we look for. Many of PCMag's product reviews rely heavily on tests conducted within PC Labs, but those walls are too small for flying drones . So to test them, we do the same thing you'd do with drones at home—take them out i…

DJI highlights an audit by Florida-based OnDefend as the FCC considers the Chinese company's petition to remove it from the foreign-made drone ban. DJI is hitting back at the US’s foreign-made drone ban by highlighting a newly released independent security audit that finds no major security threat in the Chinese company’s drones. “This is the most comprehensive independent security assessment eve…