PILOT

DJI Air 2S initial review: Take flight

(Pocket-lint) – DJI has long been the champion of the consumer drone market, pushing boundaries and implenting technology that makes it easy for the average person to do previously impossible aerial photography and videography. It was undoubtedly through the Mavic series that it saw success reach new heights, but over the past couple of years… Read more

New York City selects Bird, Lime, and VeoRide for its coveted e-scooter pilot

New York City’s days as one of the last remaining holdouts in the dockless electric scooter boom is finally at an end. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the selection of Bird, Lime, and VeoRide as the participants in its inaugural e-scooter pilot. The companies are expected to begin operations in the Bronx by… Read more

Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise driving feature coming soon to the F-150 and Mustang Mach-E

Ford has a name for its “hands-free” advanced driver assist system (ADAS): BlueCruise. The company said it would begin pushing the feature via an over-the-air software update to select 2021 Ford F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E owners later this year. According to Ford, BlueCruise will allow hands-free driving on “prequalified sections of divided highways called… Read more

Ingenuity’s flight on Mars is delayed again as NASA fixes a software bug

The first flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter was delayed again after running into a glitch in the rotorcraft’s flight control software during tests last week. The mini helicopter remains grounded on the surface of Mars’ Jezero Crater while it waits for engineers to tweak, test, and reinstall the software. NASA said it will come… Read more

Nuro’s self-driving robot will deliver Domino’s pizza orders to customers in Houston

Domino’s Pizza will start delivering pizzas via Nuro driverless cars in Houston this week as part of a pilot program, the company announced Monday. The company says “select customers” in Houston who make a prepaid delivery order from its store in the Woodland Heights neighborhood during certain dates and times can have their pizza brought… Read more

Airplane takes off a tonne heavier than expected after computer error weighs adults as children

A flight from the UK to Spain took off with more than a tonne of unexpected weight after a software error classified female passengers using the title “Miss” as children. This led to the flight’s load sheet estimating the weight of 38 female passengers as 38 kg or 77 pounds each, the standard weight for… Read more

Expedia launches a new tool to check coronavirus travel restrictions

As more people get vaccinated against the coronavirus and spring weather coaxes people outside, we’re all thinking about those travel plans we shelved last summer. But with COVID-19 travel restrictions varying by country and by state in the US, it’s difficult to figure out what’s safe and what the latest rules are. Expedia Group —… Read more

Best Buy’s new Beta program promises concierge tech support for $200 a year

Best Buy is piloting a new paid membership service that would provide exclusive perks, including concierge-style tech support and exclusive pricing. The subscription service, which will cost $200 a year or $180 if you have a Best Buy credit card, bears similarities with Amazon’s Prime subscription as Best Buy looks to expand its services outside… Read more

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 electric crossover will be Motional’s robotaxi

Lyft and Motional have selected the Hyundai Ioniq 5 for their forthcoming autonomous ride-hailing service. Motional, which is a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, said the Ioniq 5 was chosen because it represents a “convergence of mobility’s two most transformative technologies — electrification and autonomy.” Motional hasn’t said how many vehicles it would acquire,… Read more

Google is making some big upgrades to directions in Google Maps

Google is announcing a bunch of new features planned for Google Maps, including a new tool to help with indoor navigation and suggestions for eco-friendly driving routes. The features announced today aren’t rolling out all at once, though; many aren’t available just yet, and it’s unclear when some will be available in some parts of… Read more

Boston Dynamics unveils Stretch: a new robot designed to move boxes in warehouses

Boston Dynamics is best known for its robot dog Spot, a machine designed to work in a range of environments, from offshore oil rigs to deep underground mines. But in recent years, the company has increasingly focused attention on the logistics space, and today is unveiling a new robot with just one application in mind:… Read more

This Microsoft Flight Simulator mod features the cargo ship stuck in the Suez Canal

The massive cargo ship Ever Given has been stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal, captivating the internet and frustrating the teams responsible for dislodging it and the governments hardest hit by the shutdown of the maritime trade route. The ship (and its trademark “Evergreen” lettering painted on the side) has become so… Read more

BMW and PG&E think electric vehicles could stabilize California grid

As blackouts become more common during California’s fire season, utility PG&E is looking to electric vehicles as one potential backup plan for the state’s stressed-out grid. It’s been working with carmaker BMW to test whether electric vehicles could provide power when there’s an outage or not enough energy to meet demand. Theoretically, a network of… Read more

You can now subscribe to a Porsche Taycan for as little as $2,500 a month

Porsche is adding its all-electric Taycan sports car to its subscription service. For as little as $2,500 a month, you can burn rubber in a 522-horsepower, 390-kW Taycan 4S with rear-wheel drive. The 4S normally retails for around $103,800. The German automaker’s subscription service, Porsche Drive, first launched in October 2017 as a pilot program… Read more

The electric bucket trucks are coming

We’ve seen electric pickup trucks, electric school buses, and even a few electric 18-wheelers. But where are the electric aerial work platform trucks, known colloquially as bucket trucks? Con Edison may have an answer. The energy utility for New York City, and one of the largest energy companies in the US, is teaming up with… Read more