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Yesterday Amazon Prime Air unveiled its new delivery drone at the re:MARS conference in Las Vegas, NV, an event put on by Amazon focusing on AI and related technology (MARS stands for Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space). According to Prime Air, its new drone can react to changes in the flight environment and can also take action to avoid colliding with objects detected in the air, making it “independently safe. Prime Air’s new drone is safe in both stages of delivery, while in the air and while landing. Prime Air has addressed this challenge using new computer-vision techniques that allow its drone to recognize and avoid wires as they descend into, and ascend out of, a customer’s yard.

When I think about where the Parrot ANAFI sits in comparison to other similarly priced and packaged drone models, it’s somewhere between the cheaper drone models that typically have 5-10 minutes of battery life and basic autonomous features, and the stronger prosumer models that sell in the $1,000-$1,500 price range. You’re not getting the more robust auto-follow technology and intelligent flight options you’d find on a model like DJI Mavic 2 drone, Other drones at this price point don’t offer those same camera specs, and when I wrote earlier about how I felt the ANAFI’s specs sync up well with the price point, this is what I mean. In addition to 21-megapixel still shots, it can shoot video in 1080p FHD at up to 60fps, 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) at up to 30fps, or Cinematic 4K (4,096 x 2,160) at 24fps.

This is not to say you shouldn’t fly at all when it’s cold out, but just that you should go into a cold weather flight having taken the proper precautions, and knowing that it’s riskier than it would be if the weather was warm. Where a fully charged LiPo battery could provide 20-25 minutes of flight time in warmer weather (59°F or above), in colder weather flight time could drop to 10-15 minutes or lower. Here are some things to keep in mind regarding your LiPo batteries when flying in the cold: As noted above, LiPo batteries don’t work well in cold weather. If it’s below 14°F (-10°C), LiPo usage is not recommended at all (i.e., no flying! ), since your battery could cause your drone to suddenly fail without warning in these temperatures.

The University of Maryland’s recently launched UMD Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site was the ideal location to run the test. The tests, which included 14 drone missions and a flight that covered three miles, revealed that a kidney could travel safely without damage on a drone. In the report, “An Initial Investigation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Real-Time Organ Status Measurement for Transporting Human Organs,” the authors explain that “if organs could be moved by drone, instead of ill-timed commercial aircraft or expensive charter flights, lifesaving organs could be transplanted more quickly. The University of Maryland Medical Center posted this short video on Facebook, showing Dr. Scalea with the drone carrying the kidney approaching for landing behind him.