From delivering packages down the street to performing reconnaissance on a battlefield, drones are deployed for a range of activities (sometimes controversially) and have become a ubiquitous mark of our modern times. Because of their ability to go where humans can’t (or won’t), drones provide us with a new, often fascinating birds-eye view of the…

While by day, I work to bring you the latest and greatest in wireless design news, by night—or, you know, after the hour of 5 p.m.—I’m a massive gym junkie (hence the line, “Sarah’s interests include…lifting heavy things,” in my author bio). With the rise in popularity of fitness wearables in recent years, these two…

As part of its Airborne LTE Operations (ALO) initiative, Verizon is using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to provide mobile connectivity in emergency situations—demonstrating how the company’s 4G LTE network can expedite disaster relief by helping first responders. Already, Verizon has completed a series of technical trials in various locations across the country, including one recent…

*This Editor’s Note will appear in the September/October Edition of WDD. I realized, as I huddled for warmth in my hoodie on this cloudy, sixty-degree day in New Jersey, that summer is indeed behind us. And while I’m tempted to bemoan that fact each time I spy an orange leaf on the ground, I’m trying to…

In this newly declassified video, a pilot’s life is saved thanks to his F-16’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS), which takes the reins shortly after the pilot experiences G-LOC, or G-Induced Loss of Consciousness, occurring whenever blood drains too quickly from a pilot’s head. In this video, captured via the head-up-display of a U.S.…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone Story of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]***   This week, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded a $10 million contract to San Diego-based drone-maker, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), to develop “key laser subsystems required to demonstrate…

A new theoretical study suggests that life on Earth arose early on the cosmic timeline—implying that the advanced civilization we’re always probing the galaxy for is actually us. I know. Mind blown. “The main result of our research is that life seems to be more likely in the future than it is now,” author Dr. Rafael…

On August 20, 1911, the New York Times decided to test how fast a telegraph message could be relayed around the globe via telegraph cable. The message (simply, “This message sent around the world”) left the dispatch room on the 17th floor of the company’s New York building at 7 p.m. From there, the message…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone Story of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]*** Although unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are considered a prevailing product of our modern times, the origin of these ubiquitous machines can actually be traced back to famed Serbian inventor, Nikola Tesla,…

On August 16, 1963, NASA’s M2-F1 completed its first free flight, which lasted just under two minutes after being towed by a C-47 to an altitude of 5,200 feet. A forerunner to the space shuttle, the M2-F1 was the first of a series of low lift-over-drag aircraft designs. As such, it was made of wood,…

Recently, USAF Airmen from the 16th Airlift Squadron executed an impressive parachute air drop from a giant C-17 Globemaster III (also known as the Moose), dropping eight Humvee military vehicles to a drop zone in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The exercise, combining air and ground units, is an example of the USAF’s ability to access…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone Story of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]*** Over the weekend, heavy rains brought on extreme flooding in Louisiana, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes and killing at least half a dozen people. Aerial imagery, provided by a…

The event happens every two years, fosters global cooperation among its international participants, and features incredible demonstrations of strength and power. No, I’m not talking about the Olympics. (Good guess though.) Held every two years, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) is a multinational maritime exercise taking place around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. This…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]*** Last week, the U.K.’s Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA) granted Amazon permission to test out its delivery drones for packages weighing in at five pounds or less, which will enable the e-commerce…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]*** This week, the U.K.’s Civilian Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted e-commerce giant Amazon permission to test out its delivery drones in the country’s rural and suburban areas. To do so, the…

*This Editor’s Note will appear in the July/August Edition of WDD. By now, you’ve probably seen my work floating around on Wireless Design & Development. I joined the team in May 2015 as Associate Editor and immediately dove headfirst into the wireless world. (Throwback to my second week of work when I was informed I would be…

As I drove on New Jersey’s Route 3 last night, the moon, looking larger and redder than usual, shone prominently in the evening sky. It was a commanding, fitting image (a kind of “hey, look at me!”), considering the fact that on July 20th, 47 years ago to the day, mankind first stepped foot on the…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]***   Unfortunately, we live in a world where violent headlines are the norm. That being said, it’s more important now than ever to take a step back and savor the beauty that…

As a teenager, “MP3” described the new, all-the-rage hand-held players that suddenly allowed me to store all the music I had magically downloaded, out of thin air, from sketchy peer-to-peer (read: questionably legal) file applications. On the plus side, I could finally download all the latest Britney Spears singles without having to rely on tape-recording the radio.…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]***   There’s something I need to get off my chest, dear readers: (ahem) I’m twenty-eight years old, and I’m addicted to Pokemon GO. The recent Nintendo smartphone game is taking the…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve already heard about the Juno spacecraft’s approach of our Solar System’s largest, fifth rock from the sun, Jupiter. After nearly five years, Juno entered the planet’s orbit during a 35-minute engine burn on Monday, July 4th—a significant day for the Red, White, and Blue. As NASA administrator…

BAE Systems claims that a machine called the Chemputer could revolutionize the way unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are created, utilizing advanced chemical processes that yield aircraft and their complex electronic systems from the molecular level upwards. In other words, drones are grown in a giant vat of goo and then assembled by robots. A video…

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen researchers draw inspiration from the natural world when designing unmanned aerial vehicles (see: ‘Buggy’ Drone Can Perch on Ceilings and Walls). It makes perfect sense: after thousands of years of evolution, Mother Nature knows a thing or two when it comes to engineering animals capable of effortless flight.…

This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a new set of rules, governing the use of drones by commercial operators. The new regulations, which are a step towards fully integrating unmanned systems into the national airspace, could create 100,000 new jobs over the next decade and generate $82 billion for the U.S. economy, the…

***Editor’s note: This blog is part of the “Drone of the Week” series. If you have an idea for a story, please email [email protected]***   Hulu isn’t a very subtle streaming service: sharing your password with people inevitably means they know what you were last bingeing on in the privacy of your apartment. Boyfriend: “Were…