Russo-Ukrainian War
fromArs Technica
3 hours agoUkraine's military robot surge aims to offset drone risks to humans
Ukraine is increasing the use of ground robots for supply and medical evacuations to reduce human risk in warfare.
The drone, launched from Lebanon by an Iranian-backed group, was found to contain a Kometa-B navigation system, which highlights Moscow's collaboration with Tehran on drone technology. Analysts say the wreckage recovered by British intelligence signals a new and dangerous phase of drone warfare targeting UK forces.
It can drive through the field and look at every square inch. We really honed our craft on model performance and detection with rocks, and now we've transitioned that into weeds. The robot uses a boom-mounted camera system to capture detailed imagery across the field. With eight cameras operating at 1 millimetre resolution, TerraScout can generate billions of data points per acre, allowing it to identify specific objects, including individual weeds.
Hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicles are not a new concept. Drones running on hydrogen fuel have been in experimental forms for over a decade, but this is for the first time, a drone has been fully designed and deployed on full-scale combat duty in an active war zone. The drone is a hybrid version of the Raybird USA developed by Skyeton and is deployed with the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Baton Rouge bought the Stalker VXE30 from Edge Autonomy, which partners with Lockheed Martin , and began operating under the brand Redwire this week . According to reporting from WBRZ ABC2 in Louisiana , the drone, along with training and batteries, costs about $1 million.
Today's models are compact, increasingly affordable and capable of capturing sharp aerial photos and video with minimal effort. Whether you're curious about flying for the first time or looking to upgrade to a more advanced camera drone, the options available in 2026 are broader and more approachable than ever.Entry-level drones now offer features like GPS-assisted flight, return-to-home safety systems and automated shooting modes that take much of the stress out of learning to fly.
You can go onto your cloud account either through the iPad or your desktop computer and pre-plan all your jobs... when your hired man goes into the field he can just pick the job... and then hit start and you can go.
"We were completely controlling the drone from the helicopter. For us, it's of course unique. Today, what we performed is a world first," Gerin-Roze told reporters on Thursday at the Singapore Airshow. The software is part of Airbus' contribution to the surging industry for drone wingmen, which the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers are betting will be the future of air warfare.
Antigravity's ambitious A1 360-degree drone is 15 percent off through February 9th. The first-ever discount on this model is available across all bundles, with the most affordable option dropping from $1,599 to $1,359 at Amazon and Best Buy. Pricier bundles are also discounted and include accessories such as a carrying case, additional replaceable drone wings, and extra batteries. The Antigravity A1, Insta360's first drone, really impressed us during our hands-on with a prototype in December 2025.
Facing an existential crisis, the Ukrainians had to develop a way to counter hostile forces cheaply yet with mass. That meant figuring out how to turn inexpensive drones into weaponry, a step that quickly and fundamentally changed how the war was being fought. Now, drones carry out 80% of all battlefield hits and are responsible for most combat casualties.
"The Drone Ban" sounds overly alarmist, but it's real. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has instituted a ban on new foreign-made drones and drone components. Which, considering the huge market dominance of Chinese brands, translates into a "buy them now while you can" situation for hobbyist drones. While this ban prevents any new models from being imported and sold in the U.S., ones that are already here are still available for purchase and use.
Across its body, the A1 carries eight individual cameras, each equipped with a 1/1.28-inch sensor, f/2.2 aperture, and an ISO range of 100 to 6,400. Harnessing the magic of Insta360 software, these cameras all work together to record 360-degree hemispherical footage. You don't see the sphere at once; instead, the drone routes its video feed directly to the goggles, narrowing it to a 65-degree field of view. You physically turn your head to see the rest of the scene.