Drones

Move over Beyonce! 540 robots perform at world’s most watched music festival

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Did you think this week’s Super Bowl was the biggest TV spectacle? Think again.

As the rest of the world fawned over the Super Bowl 50 half-time performance, over in China another spectacle was taking place.

China’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala is the most watched TV show on earth with over 700 million people tuning in each year. This year the event was held live from 5 different locations, but the highlight was this high-tech performance out of Guangzhou.

To ring in the Chinese New Year, a troupe of 540 dancing robots performed live in a synchronized display of Chinese artistry and technical knowhow. It was a performance reminiscent of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies, except this one was purely high tech.

While the robots displayed only limited movement, the scale of the performance was a sight to behold. The most impressive move, was when the entire troupe performed handstands followed by what could be best described as head spins – without the spin.

Accompanied by singer Sun Nan, the performance ended with a shower of confetti from 29 drones that lit up the Guangzhou skyline with neon lights.

Via Shanghaiist

Drones

Airpeak will be Sony’s foray into camera drone market

Slated to launch in Spring 2021

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Airpeak

The ever-competitive drone market will soon have another brand to welcome. Sony just announced its entry into the consumer drone market with the Airpeak brand, which will likely go toe-to-toe (propeller to propeller?) with established brands like DJI.

Specific details about the brand, however, remain scarce at the moment. Sony’s official website only teases a short cryptic video.

The website also mentions that Airpeak will be the culmination of “imaging and sensing technological expertise and AI Robotics” — something which Sony has with its consumer camera and robotic products.

A separate press release also confirms Sony’s plan to target video creators with the Airpeak brand. Further, the brand will bring 3R technology (Reality, Real-time and Remote) to the drone market.

The first wave of products under the Airpeak is slated to launch in the spring of 2021. In the meantime, Sony will continue to obtain feedback from users who participated in co-creating drones under the brand.

It is worth noting that this isn’t Sony’s first foray into the drone market. Last year, the company entered a partnership with ZMP to form the Aerosense company. However, that company caters specifically to the business sector. So, the Airpeak brand will actually be the company’s first for the consumer drone sector.

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Drones

How the tech world helped in the Notre Dame fire incident

Modern technology isn’t our foe at all

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In light of the recent news about the fire incident that happened in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, several companies, including those from the tech sector, have shown how much they care for the ruined 856-year-old historic landmark.

DJI

When the flames broke out, firefighters used Mavic Pro and Matrice M210 drones. The cathedral was severely damaged but thankfully, the drones helped in distinguishing where the fire had spread out. Several tweets show how helpful drones are, even during unexpected disasters like this one.

People from DJI talked about how their drones helped Paris’ Emergency Response Team in determining the fire inside the cathedral.

Apple

After the incident, many people, including popular icons all around the globe, have shown their distress about the destruction of the cathedral. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is one among those people. He even promised Apple would help in the progress of rebuilding Notre Dame’s ruined architectural landscape.

Ubisoft

Most gamers can tell that the Notre Dame Cathedral is found in the gameplay of Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Ubisoft, which is also a French company, said that the infrastructure was scanned using their state-of-the-art 3D mapping technology. Using data preserved for the game may help architects and builders in restoring the cathedral. As an addition, the game is for free at the Ubisoft store to honor the fallen landmark.

Image credit: Ubisoft

It may be insignificant for most people but these all prove that companies and their existing technologies can still help in times of global incidents like this.

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Drones

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review: 1 month in

Not a perfect drone, but…

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We won’t bore you with a rundown of its specs, but instead, we’ll give you the lowdown on DJI’s new drone — what works, what doesn’t, and what’s there to love. This is our DJI Mavic 2 Pro review.

 

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