PAGE

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW
Q3 2017
 PAGE
1

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017
INTRODUCTION
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
Welcome to the Drone Industry Review in venture capital funding funneling into
eBook for Q3 2017! After the success of the drone industry. This quarter definitely Listen on

the first eBook for Q2 2017 (which was had it all.

Apple Podcasts
downloaded 1,000+ times), I knew I had to
Get it on
produce this second edition for Q3.
The news I look forward to most has
Google Play
started to center around the eVTOL, "flying
The podcast continues to do well. car" platforms which seem on the cusp
Commercial Drones FM is a passion project of a major breakthrough but, of course,
of mine that I do out of love, on the side the Shake-Ups, Funding, & Mergers And
of my full-time job in the drone industry. Acquisitions section will always be my
The podcast is supported directly by favorite. I guess I just can't resist the big
listeners on Patreon, as well as by selected picture drama.
advertisers. It has brought me more
notoriety than I ever thought possible.
As always, please enjoy this quarterly
review of the drone industry. Feel free
It continues to be a great ride being part of to share with friends or colleagues and
the drone industry. When I joined in early always remember to fly safe.
2013, I knew it was going to be something
special. Seeing us progress through the Click to listen to
Section 333 process and a full year into Cheers, the Drone Industry
Part 107 has been an absolute pleasure. Review: Q3 2017
podcast

In this Quarter 3 Drone Industry Review, we

see even more progress being made. From
the deployment of the LAANC system
and having over 50,000 commercial drone
pilots flying in the U.S., to CNN getting a
waiver permitting them for drone flights
over people and over $98.5 million dollars
 PAGE
2

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. 6. 11.
HARDWARE...............................................PAGE 3 DELIVERY DRONES............................ PAGE 20 WRAP-UP................................................ PAGE 30
This section includes updates about Self-explanatory. Coverage of all things Final thoughts from author, Ian Smith. This is
multirotors, fixed-wing, VTOL, and other drone delivery—challenges, breakthroughs, the conclusion of the Drone Industry Review
aircraft and sensors. and progress. eBook.

2. 7. 12.
SOFTWARE..............................................PAGE 10 ENTERTAINMENT DRONES........... PAGE 23 APPENDIX................................................PAGE 31
The software section focuses on products These drones come in all shapes and sizes Just the appendix. Nothing interesting to see
and companies who make or are involved in and will redefine entertainment. This section here.
drone-related software. may include drone swarm updates.

3. 8.
REGULATIONS & SAFETY................ PAGE 12 INSURANCE........................................... PAGE 24
This section covers news and updates to This quarter, the Insurance section covers
global regulatory drone frameworks and how drones impacted the post-hurricane
challenges which relate. survey efforts and more.

4. 9.
SHAKE-UPS, FUNDING, M&A........ PAGE 15 INSPECTION & TOWERS................. PAGE 26
My favorite section. This will cover rumors, One of the many industries that drones are
big news in the drone space, acquisitions, impacting from a commercial perspective.
funding, new entrants, and more. The tower industry had noteworthy updates
this quarter.
5.
AUTONOMY & FLYING CARS.........PAGE 18 10.
A broad section which includes new PUBLIC SAFETY & SAR.................... PAGE 27
developments in drone autonomy and A very fast-growing segment of drone use.
personal air transportation. This section includes updates from search
and rescue, to firefighting, and beyond.
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3

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT This situation seemed to escalate when

DRONES a purported, internal memo from the US
Army leaked, courtesy of sUAS News,
8. INSURANCE
calling for all Army units to immediately
9. INSPECTION Hardware Early in the quarter we heard reports of a discontinue the use of every DJI drone in
& TOWER
variety of companies that, for a fee, offer their fleet (which was more than 300).
INDUSTRY First up is hardware. In Q3, DJI was in the
to jailbreak DJI drones in order to do things
10. PUBLIC SAFETY news so often, they are deserving of their
like bypass no fly zones.
& SEARCH AND own category, so here it is. Army discontinues all use of DJI drones
RESCUE
DJI didn't only just make the news for
hardware, but since their current business DJI jailbreaking
in Q3 comprised mainly of hardware, that's
what we'll focus on in this section. In Q4 DJI
begins to branch out into SaaS software
but that's a story for another eBook.
 PAGE
4

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Then, a study was released by NOAA In response to this, DJI has developed the Amidst all of this drama, DJI this quarter
DRONES which said that some DJI drones (like option for pilots to fly their drones without announced an updated drone, the Mavic
the old S1000) were, in fact, secure and internet data transfer, called “Offline” or Pro Platinum, which is quieter and has 3
8. INSURANCE
did not send information back to DJI “Local Data Mode”. minutes more flight time than the original
9. INSPECTION HQ in Shenzhen. But, it did reveal that Mavic Pro. It’s nice to see DJI focusing
& TOWER
other drones (like the Phantom 3 Pro) are more on airfoil design, aerodynamics,
INDUSTRY
sending encrypted data back to HQ DJI local data mode and incremental improvements. DJI also
10. PUBLIC SAFETY released the Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian with
& SEARCH AND Additionally, and I can’t completely confirm
RESCUE
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST an improved gimbal.
this, but it was also reported that in some
DJI drones, a secondary, hidden SD card is
installed.
• 4dB quieter
Then, another study was published which
• 3 min more flight time than Mavic Pro
says that some DJI drones are secure and
not sending back sensitive information • $1,099
to HQ… but finally does reveal that other
hardware units are still sending encrypted
info back to DJI HQ. DJI releases Mavic Pro Platinum

Some DJI drones are secure, some are not

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5

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT And of course DJI have the luxury of Other Hardware News Airdog released the Airdog II drone
DRONES focusing on and introducing incremental platform, meant to compete with—well,
In other news, a racing drone broke
updates like this because the Chinese DJI and I guess GoPro. This drone follows
8. INSURANCE the Guinness World Record for speed,
drone maker has been rewarded with a the owner and films them via a battery-
reaching 163.5 MPH.
9. INSPECTION $10 billion valuation, courtesy of Frost & powered leash that the operator wears
& TOWER
Sullivan. on their wrist, not by computer vision. One
INDUSTRY
A drone flew 163.5 mph of the makers of Airdog on ProductHunt
10. PUBLIC SAFETY said, “P.S. And by the way we partner with
& SEARCH AND
DJI scores a $10 billion valuation DJI and they manufacture some of the
RESCUE
components used in ADII.”

Airdog releases Airdog II multirotor

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6

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT In a tidbit of news that’s somewhat A company in Florida developed a drone

DRONES disappointing but not really surprising billboard that uses an attached, curved
at all, is that a preliminary NASA study screen to display advertisements while in
8. INSURANCE
determined that the sound of drones flight.
9. INSPECTION buzzing is more annoying than cars.
& TOWER
INDUSTRY
Drone billboard
10. PUBLIC SAFETY NASA study confirms drone buzzes are
& SEARCH AND
more annoying than cars
RESCUE
Ever wonder what kind of drones are used
for filming Game of Thrones Season 7?
Wonder no more. Dutch company,
AceCore, used heavy-lift drones called,
NEO, to operate in lieu of helicopters for
the HBO series’ demanding film standards
in Iceland, where temperatures of -20
degrees celsius and very strong winds
were a common occurrence.

Dutch NEO drone films Games of Thrones

Season 7
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7

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Remember Lily? The drone company who French electronics company, Parrot, The drone company formerly known as
DRONES imploded? Well, they’re back. A small introduced the small, Bebop 2 Power Delair-Tech (now called just, “Delair”)
drone company called, Mota, purchased quadcopter. At 1.15 pounds, it has has announced a new fixed-wing aircraft
8. INSURANCE
the rights to Lily and whatever was left of a 30-minute flight time and an AI called, UX11. It’s based off of the Trimble/
9. INSPECTION their intellectual property in order to re- photography system. Gatewing UX5 platform, which they
& TOWER
release the drone. It costs $699, folds up, previously acquired, and has pretty
INDUSTRY
but doesn’t include many of the original incredible specs. Continuing to push the
10. PUBLIC SAFETY selling points of the first Lily. Interesting Parrot announces Bebop 2 Power industry towards our internet-connected-
& SEARCH AND
investment choice by the folks at Mota. drone future, all command and control is
RESCUE
done through 3G cell network for the UX11.
Very cool.
Lily “Next-Gen” by Mota

Delair announces UX11 fixed-wing drone

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

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8

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Sony’s VTOL aircraft, which popped up In the world of sensor manufacturers, FLIR launched the FLIR Duo Pro R, calling
DRONES for the first time at least one year ago, is SLANTRANGE announced that they it, “the ultimate drone thermal imaging
now back in the news after the company’s reached an agreement with the very large solution”. Duo Pro R combines a high-
8. INSURANCE
internal restructuring process and I wonder European enterprise, Bayer. SLANTRANGE resolution, radiometric thermal imager, 4K
9. INSPECTION if we’ll actually ever see this drone in the will be providing them with advanced data color camera, and a full suite of on-board
& TOWER
flesh. analytics. sensors to bring you the most powerful
INDUSTRY
dual-sensor imaging solution in the world
10. PUBLIC SAFETY for small commercial drones.
& SEARCH AND Sony VTOL drone gets in the news SLANTRANGE Announces Agreement
RESCUE
with Bayer
FLIR Duo Pro R
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9

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Propeller, traditionally a software company

DRONES but now no stranger to the hardware
game, has reached a global distribution
8. INSURANCE
agreement with Trimble whose network
9. INSPECTION will sell the company’s Aeropoint ground
& TOWER
control points.
INDUSTRY
Propeller Aero’s products to be distributed
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND globally by the positioning benchmark
RESCUE Trimble
 PAGE
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DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES

8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION
& TOWER
INDUSTRY

10. PUBLIC SAFETY

Software
& SEARCH AND
RESCUE FlytBase released what they’re calling,
“the World’s First Internet of Drones
Platform” and the FlytPi – a turnkey
companion computer that users can install
in compatible drones. It comes pre-loaded
with the commercial edition of their
operating system, FlytOS.

FlytBase releases the world's first internet

of drones platform
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11

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE
3D Robotics, who are no longer present Drone Company That Was Promised”,
2. SOFTWARE
in the hardware section of this quarterly attempting to go head-to-head with DJI,
3. REGULATIONS review series, announced that their and ultimately failing. If you can’t beat
& SAFETY
cloud photogrammetry software is now them—join them.
4. SHAKE-UPS, powered by none other than Pix4D.
FUNDING, M&A Additionally, 3DR also dropped the bomb
of officially supporting DJI drones for Site Scan Processing is Now Powered by
5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS their flight control software. Drone industry the Pix4D Engine
aficionados will understand the irony here, 3DR Site Scan software now supports DJI
6. DELIVERY
DRONES as 3D Robotics was once the “American drones

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION
& TOWER
Some Intel news from the software front— off how it handles change detection and
INDUSTRY Intel’s drone division continues to make inspection workflows. Very neat.
big strides in our nascent industry. They’ve
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND selected Delair as the strategic partner for
RESCUE the development of their new Intel Insight Intel chooses Delair as their strategic
software analytics platform. Intel CEO Brian partner for the development of Intel Insight
Krzanich himself announced this onstage software
at the InterDrone conference and showed
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
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12

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE
CNN got the first closed-set waiver for
3. REGULATIONS flying over people which is a big step
& SAFETY
forward for Part 107 operations and flights
4. SHAKE-UPS, over people in general. If you’ll recall,
FUNDING, M&A the FAA previously had quietly blanket-
5. AUTONOMY & revoked closed-set exemptions.
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES CNN gets first closed-set waiver to fly over
people
7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES

8. INSURANCE DroneLawJournal.com this quarter wrote

a very nice piece on how if you, as a
9. INSPECTION Regulations & Safety
& TOWER company or individual, hire a hobbyist
INDUSTRY Alright, let’s talk Regulations and Safety. drone operator for work in the U.S., you
There was no shortage of news in this might be committing a federal crime.
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND category during Q3 ‘17 so I’ve attempted to
RESCUE boil this down into only the most important
points Hiring a hobbyist? You might be
committing a federal crime.
First, the United States.

Here are some numbers. There are now

over 50,000+ Part 107 commercial drone
pilots as of August 1st 2017 and 5,000
alone were added, just in July.

There are over 50,000 Part 107 pilots

 PAGE
13

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Planning a flight over one of America’s Planning a flight over your local, This type of rulemaking is not very
DRONES beautiful landmarks? Don’t. The FAA neighborhood U.S. military base? You surprising, considering the other recent
has restricted drone flights over several might really want to rethink that. A new news of the alleged Army helicopter that
8. INSURANCE
monuments, like Mount Rushmore and the policy straight out of the Pentagon was hit by a drone in mid-flight, over New
9. INSPECTION Statue of Liberty. authorizes military bases to shoot down York.
& TOWER
drones that are deemed as a threat.
INDUSTRY

10. PUBLIC SAFETY FAA Restricts Drones Over Major U.S. Drone hits Army helicopter over New York
& SEARCH AND Landmarks New policy: Military bases can shoot down
RESCUE
trespassing drones
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14

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Here’s an amazing development; a new Transport Canada has made some Portugal is expediting a law that will
DRONES initiative from the FAA called Low Altitude changes and updated their commercial introduce mandatory registration and
Authorization and Notification Capability, drone regulations to allow for more insurance for drones weighing more than
8. INSURANCE
or LAANC, will allow drone operators to operational areas around airports, which 250 grams after airplane near-misses.
9. INSPECTION apply for automated, digital authorization one Toronto-area drone pilot has called, “a
& TOWER
at 50 airports starting soon. Companies like step in the right direction—however, more
INDUSTRY
AirMap will be integrating their services work needs to be done." Portugal expedites new drone law after
10. PUBLIC SAFETY with this technology. airplane near-misses
& SEARCH AND
RESCUE
Transport Canada updates regs
Automated ATC Authorization For Drone
Flights Will Occur At These 50 Airports This
Fall
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15

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES

8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION Shake-Ups, Funding, and M&A There are a bevy of funding

& TOWER
INDUSTRY announcements this quarter, totaling
To preface this section, a new report puts
$98,574,300:
10. PUBLIC SAFETY the commercial drone market at a 35.26%
& SEARCH AND CAGR by 2021. I have absolutely no idea • Skyspecs raised $574.3K in a Debt round
RESCUE how accurate that is, as it’s reported by
• Anti-drone radio wave startup SkySafe
MarketWatch and the report was done
secures $11.5M from Andreessen
by a company called, “Reportsnreports”. • Mitsui partnered with UK drone specialists
Sounds legit. • Atlas Dynamics Completes an $8 Million Sky-Futures and backs them with a $4
Funding Round million investment
• Betterview raised $2 million to analyze • A startup (Skydio) created by ex-Google
Commercial drone market at 35.26% CAGR
drone footage for insurers engineers is raising $40 million to make
• Airobotics Raises $32.5 Million in C Round drones that fly themselves
to Meet Growing Demand in Mining and • And Robotic Skies’ maintenance network
Homeland Security Industries raised money as well
 PAGE
16

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT This quarter, Snap Inc. was in talks to buy DroneDeploy partnered with DartDrones One of my favorite of the OG, high-end
DRONES Chinese selfie-drone maker Zero Zero to bring bespoke drone mapping and drone manufacturers, Aerialtronics, is
Robotics for $150M-$200M. But first, a bit photogrammetry training to drone pilots. in suspension of payments and looks
8. INSURANCE
of background here. In April 2016, Zero to be having a tough time financially.
9. INSPECTION Zero Robotics closed its Series A round, However, it has come to my attention that
& TOWER DroneDeploy partners with DartDrones for
bringing in $25 million of investment. They a French company may have purchase
INDUSTRY
also sell their drones in Apple Stores. So drone mapping training their remaining assets and IP and have
10. PUBLIC SAFETY this quarter, the Snap/Zero Zero Robotics effectively bailed them out.
& SEARCH AND
deal has reportedly gone through, marking LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
RESCUE
this the second drone company Snap has
acquired in as many quarters. Keep your Aerialtronics in suspension of payments
specs peeled for a flying Snap camera
soon.

Snap Inc. acquires selfie-drone maker,

Zero Zero Robotics
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17

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT In a seemingly sudden change, DJI has A3, Airbus’ Silicon Valley innovation office, Drone360, an industry print magazine, is
DRONES appointed executive, Roger Luo, as the started a new project called, Altiscope, for shutting down after lower-than-expected
company's new president, seemingly creating blueprints in the sky and tackling growth and lack of demand.
8. INSURANCE
allowing Frank Wang to focus on more of the UTM challenge.
9. INSPECTION the product rather than the business.
& TOWER Drone360 print magazine is shutting down
INDUSTRY
Airbus Silicon Valley creates Altiscope
10. PUBLIC SAFETY DJI Names Roger Luo Company's
& SEARCH AND President
RESCUE
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18

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Delorean, yes that Delorean, is making

DRONES a flying car. One of the Delorean family
offspring has taken to the idea that the
8. INSURANCE
cult-like status of the Back To The Future
9. INSPECTION Autonomy & Flying Cars machine will be a perfect brand for our
& TOWER
electric VTOL future.
INDUSTRY In a survey that will surprise no one, U.S.
consumers have been cited that they Delorean is making a flying car
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND might not feel safe flying in a self-driving
RESCUE passenger drone.

U.S. consumers may not feel safe flying in

self-driving passenger drones
 PAGE
19

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Germany’s Volocopter, one of the most China's Tencent was the lead investor in a A small company called, Pyka wants to
DRONES promising and currently-operating $90 million fundraising round announced make autonomous single-person aircraft
electric aerial vehicle companies, raised in Q3 by flying taxi-car-electric-aircraft a part of our reality, so they’ve built a
8. INSURANCE
$30 million from Daimler for its flying startup, Lilium. Money is starting to pour 400-pound prototype. They’re part of
9. INSPECTION autonomous taxi. into the human-carrying sector of flying startup accelerator Y Combinator. While
& TOWER
robots. they’re working out the kinks in the
INDUSTRY
regulatory challenges, Pyka’s keeping busy
10. PUBLIC SAFETY Volocopter raises $30 million by using their aircraft in New Zealand as an
& SEARCH AND Electric flying car startup gets Chinese autonomous crop duster.
RESCUE
cash

Pyka wants to make autonomous single-

person aircraft reality
 PAGE
20

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES

8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION Delivery Drones

& TOWER
INDUSTRY • Alphabet’s Project Wing is testing a
10. PUBLIC SAFETY new delivery drone in rural Australia.
& SEARCH AND
• Walmart has started to test their
RESCUE
delivery drones in the U.S., in Central
New York.

• Walmart has also applied for a patent

for a blimp-style floating warehouse.

Project Wing testing a new delivery

drone in Australia
 PAGE
21

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Speaking of delivery drone patents, Amazong isn't done yet, they filed another Matternet and Mercedes Benz’s intriguing
DRONES Amazon is always good for a couple new patent calling for a network of partnership has completed its first delivery
of those per quarter. The eCommerce mobile workstations that would act as in Switzerland.
8. INSURANCE
behemoth filed a patent that would a maintenance hub and merchandise
9. INSPECTION allow a drone to capture video of a warehouse for the company’s drone fleet.
& TOWER Matternet’s autonomous delivery drones
house and make purchase suggestions
INDUSTRY
to customers, then followed that one up can now refuel and reload by themselves
10. PUBLIC SAFETY with a new filing which calls for a network Amazon files for drone fleet maintenance
& SEARCH AND hub patent
of mobile workstations that would act
RESCUE
as a maintenance hub and merchandise
warehouse for the company’s drone fleet.
I know what you’re thinking—all of those
Whole Foods locations around the U.S.
are Prime locations for Amazon’s delivery
drone hubs.

Amazon files more drone patents

 PAGE
22

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT California banned marijuana drone The world’s largest national drone delivery But my favorite piece of news coming from
DRONES deliveries, as if that was already happening. network will apparently be launching delivery drones this quarter? Among all
in Tanzania in 2018, courtesy of startup, of the pretty incredible news previously
8. INSURANCE
Zipline. mentioned, Flirtey literally released a
9. INSPECTION CA bans marijuana drone deliveries press release that commemorates the
& TOWER
anniversaries of their previous press
INDUSTRY
The world's largest national drone delivery releases.
10. PUBLIC SAFETY network will launch in Tanzania in 2018
& SEARCH AND
RESCUE
Flirtey releases press release to
commemorate previous press releases
 PAGE
23

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT Then we’ve got two drone light shows—

DRONES one over a Metallica concert and the
other, an Intel swarm of 300 aircraft lit
8. INSURANCE
up the Los Angeles night sky, promoting
9. INSPECTION the upcoming Blu-Ray release of Wonder
& TOWER
Woman.
INDUSTRY
Entertainment Drones Micro drones swarm above
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND Metallica
RESCUE
File this one under the category—there’s
now a drone that promises to walk your
dog along a GPS route. Intel drones light up the night sky to
Drone promises to walk your dog promote Wonder Woman
along a GPS route
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
 PAGE
24

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT EagleView made breakthrough advances

DRONES in property insurance claims and
underwriting technology by implementing
8. INSURANCE
machine learning into their product.
9. INSPECTION Insurance Around Hurricane Harvey in Houston,
& TOWER
INDUSTRY Travelers Insurance, based out of Hartford,
Insurance companies have been flocking EagleView adds machine learning to their
CT, had 65 certified drone pilots among
10. PUBLIC SAFETY towards drones this quarter. Spurred on product
their 600 employees deployed to the
& SEARCH AND by catastrophic damage from hurricanes
RESCUE Houston area.
Harvey and Irma hitting the southeastern
United States, drones have been given
an international stage to truly showcase
Travelers Insurance deploys 65 drone
their utility. In the wake of these disasters,
pilots to Houston
drones were deployed en masse—not just
for insurance companies to help speed
up claims but also for search and rescue
efforts, which we’ll talk about a bit later.
 PAGE
25

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT The Catastrophe Response Unit Adjusters Farmers Insurance has launched their own
DRONES (CRU Group) selected drone startup, drone program.
Kespry’s industrial drone platform for
8. INSURANCE
claims operations.
9. INSPECTION Drone Program Takes Flight at Farmers
& TOWER Insurance
INDUSTRY
CRU selects Kespry for claims operations
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND
RESCUE
 PAGE
26

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT HAZON passed a major bridge inspection

DRONES milestone, completing 100,000 linear feet
(nearly 19 miles) of rail bridge under their
8. INSURANCE
gaze.
9. INSPECTION Inspection & Tower Industry
& TOWER
INDUSTRY AT&T is exploring Artificial Intelligence for HAZON completes 100k feet of inspection
10. PUBLIC SAFETY their UAV tower inspections in order to
& SEARCH AND attempt to automatically identify issues
RESCUE and minimize human analysis.

AT&T Exploring Artificial Intelligence

for UAV Tower Inspections
Airbus Aerial is using a drone + satellite
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST combination for their utility inspections
and vegetation encroachment monitoring
activities.

Airbus Aerial Tries Out Drone, Satellite

Combo for Utility Inspections

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

 PAGE
27

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE

2. SOFTWARE

3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS,
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT One of the oldest drone uses that first

DRONES inspired me that I’m thrilled to finally
see deployed, are drones that carry life
8. INSURANCE
preservers and deliver them to swimmers
9. INSPECTION Public Safety & Search And Rescue charge. It’s just not safe if you fly without in peril. It’s now happening in France.
& TOWER
INDUSTRY permission.
First, a huge shoutout goes to all of the
10. PUBLIC SAFETY teams that sacrificed their time, spending Life preserver-carrying drones are
& SEARCH AND it on helping those affected by the latest deployed in France
RESCUE disasters. And a high five goes out to the
FAA for officially giving support for the
various drone assessments happening in
Houston and Florida and other affected
areas after the hurricanes swept through.

However, let this serve as a reminder to

ground your drones in disaster scenarios
like these unless you can fully coordinate
your efforts with the authorities in
 PAGE
28

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE
Battelle’s DroneDefender™ Joins Forces LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
2. SOFTWARE
with Dedrone in a move which would
3. REGULATIONS explore ways to create an end-to-end
& SAFETY
solution incorporating drone detection and
4. SHAKE-UPS, classification with defeat technology.
FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS Battelle and Dedrone join forces

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES Stanley Black & Decker will add drones to
its commercial security business.
8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION
& TOWER
Stanley Black & Decker will make security
INDUSTRY
drones
10. PUBLIC SAFETY
& SEARCH AND
RESCUE

The Insect Control Branch of Winnipeg

is asking for $36,500 to use drones to
combat mosquitos.

Winnipeg may use drones to fight

mosquitos
 PAGE
29

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017

1. HARDWARE
UK Police launched their first dedicated
2. SOFTWARE
drone unit.
3. REGULATIONS
& SAFETY

4. SHAKE-UPS, UK Police now have a drone unit

FUNDING, M&A

5. AUTONOMY &
FLYING CARS

6. DELIVERY
DRONES

7. ENTERTAINMENT
DRONES Firefighting drones could take flight in San
Francisco by 2018.
8. INSURANCE

9. INSPECTION
& TOWER
San Francisco may use firefighting drones
INDUSTRY

10. PUBLIC SAFETY

& SEARCH AND
RESCUE

And the final tidbit I’m leaving you with, the drone hit a gust of wind and the auto-
which gave me a nice hearty chuckle. A land functionality kicked in.
headline reads, “Amateur Drone Lands
on the U.K.'s New Aircraft Carrier, No One
Even Notices.” A photographer landed his Amateur Drone Lands on the U.K.'s New
drone on the flight deck of a new British Aircraft Carrier, No One Even Notices
aircraft carrier. The operator reported
himself and says he did not mean to do it,
 PAGE
30

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017
WRAP-UP

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 PAGE
31

DRONE
INDUSTRY
REVIEW:
Q3 2017
APPENDIX
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