The U.S. is building barriers around drones and robots, but China has scale to get around them
The U.S. is shutting out more foreign-made drones and robots. China’s scale means the global competition may simply move elsewhere.
Drones
HoverAir’s transforming modular drone has already been halted in the US
I am so sorry, fellow US gadget fans: the FCC’s drone ban appears to have struck again. The HoverAir Versa – a baby steadycam with snap-on propeller wings that transform it into a drone – has already stopped taking US orders just three days after its Indiegogo debut, and may be forced to abandon shipping […]
Amazon’s drone deliveries are landing in pools and ponds
Amazon’s speedy drone delivery service will soon reach 500 cities across the US – but that might just mean there are more pools to drop packages into. On Wednesday, ABC7 News Bay Area shared a video showing an Amazon delivery drone hovering over a customer’s pool in Texas, before opening its hatch and plopping the […]
I bought DJI’s banned camera — it was cheap and easy
As a kid, I always imagined the “black market” would be like the movies: Shady vendors hawking illicit goods along dusty streets. But if you want a banned DJI Osmo Pocket 4 or Pocket 4 Pro camera in the US, you can just reach for your phone. They’re on Temu, AliExpress, eBay, Mercari – even […]
Does giving a camera wings dodge the FCC’s drone ban?
HoverAir drones always have intriguing gimmicks. This one folds flat to fit in your pocket. This one can land on water. Another can charge inside its carrying case. But the brand’s latest trick might be its riskiest: it’s attempting to sneak a drone past the FCC. In December 2025, the US government banned future foreign […]
Amazon’s Prime Air is taking off in nearly 500 US cities
Amazon is significantly expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service, with plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026.
Amazon’s drones will soon deliver to nearly 500 US cities and towns
Amazon says its drone delivery service will reach “nearly 500 cities and towns in the United States” by the end of this year, increasing its coverage by six times compared to the current footprint. Prime Air deliveries will soon be launched in the Chicago, Illinois; Syracuse, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho […]
Uber partners with Zipline on Eats drone deliveries
Uber is teaming up with drone company Zipline to start airborne takeout deliveries later this year, with the goal of reaching 1 million daily drone deliveries by 2029. Uber also said it was making a strategic investment in Zipline, a California-based company that has been orchestrating drone deliveries in Texas since 2025. The news comes […]
DoorDash is going airborne with new drone delivery division
DoorDash is launching a new drone delivery program called DoorDash Air. The largest food delivery app in the US said that it has approval from the Federal Aviation Administration that clears the way for drone delivery in the near future. DoorDash said it has received a Part 135 air carrier certification from the FAA that […]
DJI camera clone company Xtra is halting and refunding all preorders
After selling a barely disguised version of the hit DJI Osmo Pocket 3 in the United States last year, Xtra Technology seemed ready to sneak in its version of the new dual-lens Osmo Pocket 4 Pro, too. But today, Xtra has abruptly removed the new Xtra Muse 2 Pro from its website landing page, is […]