Finland heats up, drone deliveries, and the Helsinki Biennial – Finland in the World Press 

ONE WIDELY-SHARED ARTICLE in the world press this week came from a popular science magazine which revealed that despite Finland’s efforts to fight climate change, the country is actually warming up at double the global average rate. They also interviewed Finland’s former environment minister to get her thoughts on the looming ecological catastrophe.

In other news, tech pundits and publications have been focusing heavily on the impending rollout of drone deliveries in Eastern Helsinki. The drones, which are operated by Google’s parent company, will be delivering upscale groceries and takeout food in the Vuosaari area of the city, one of the first such rollouts of its size in the world.

There has also been increasing coverage of Helsinki upcoming Biennial Art Festival, which aims to replicate the success of similar modern art fairs in Miami, Venice, and New York.

Finland is warming at twice the global rate

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Finland is a country of fascinating and stark contrasts — ..

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New AI system helps drones land more quickly

New York, May 25 (IANS) Researchers have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system that can help drones to land more safely and quickly, while gobbling up less power.

The system, dubbed the “Neural Lander,” is a learning-based controller that tracks the position and speed of the drone, and modifies its landing trajectory and rotor speed accordingly to achieve the smoothest possible landing.

“This project has the potential to help drones fly more smoothly and safely, especially in the presence of unpredictable wind gusts, and eat up less battery power as drones can land more quickly,” said Soon-Jo Chung, Professor at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the US.

Landing multi-rotor drones smoothly is difficult. Complex turbulence is created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground as the ground grows ever closer during a descent.

ALSO READ: Defence Secretary quits, Sri Lanka bans drones
This turbulence is not well understood nor is it easy to com..

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Orange Twp. discusses drone project

The Orange Township Fire Department will soon be able to assess the situation of an emergency incident and adjust the response before getting to the scene through the use of new autonomous drone technology.

The design of the drone was conceived by an Olentangy Orange High School alumnus Divy Shrivastava, who went on to study technology at the University of California Berkeley. Shrivastava is now the founder and chief executive officer of the tech startup Paladin Drones.

Fire Chief Matt Noble said Shrivastava approached the township about being part of a pilot project to collect data and test the drone. Friday, in a special meeting, the Orange Township Board of Trustees and the chief discussed the contractual aspects of taking part in a study with Paladin Drones.

“This has been going on for two years,” Noble said. “I’ve been able to see his concept grow to what it is now. I felt it’s a good time to be involved in the pilot project because of what I’ve seen.”

According to Noble, the ..

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New DJI Drones Set to Include Airplane & Helicopter Detectors

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New DJI Drones Set to Include Airplane & Helicopter Detectors

DJI has announced plans to expand its drone safety agenda by adding airplane and helicopter detectors to upcoming consumer models. As part of the plan, all new DJI drone models released after January 1, 2020 that weigh more than 250 grams will feature AirSense technology.
“DJI leads the drone industry in developing safety technology and education, and we continue that tradition today by setting higher expectations for ourselves, our competitors and regulators,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President for Policy & Legal Affairs. “DJI was the first company to offer geofencing, automatic altitude limits, return-to-home technology and other safety features to the world's growing community of personal and professional drone pilots. We believe our efforts have helped drones attain their enviable safety record, and we expect our new agenda will further improve safety even as more drones take to the ..

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First responders, businesses increasingly turn to drones

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Phil Jennings and Peter Menet flew Black Hawk helicopters while serving in the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
Years later, their aviation skills have been put to use in different capacities that intersect through drone technology.
Jennings, originally from Milwaukee and a longtime Madison resident, is the senior lead pilot for the University of Wisconsin Med Flight after retiring from the U.S. military in 2010. He is increasingly coordinating with emergency dispatchers about working safely alongside drone pilots.

Menet, an Appleton native, now flies drones commercially and runs his own company, Menet Aero.
An increasing number of businesses, authorities and emergency officials are using drones for purposes ranging from vehicle accident reconstruction to inspecting cellular towers from a bird's-eye view.

Portage Fire Department Engineer Matthew Asch pilots a drone in February outside the fire station. The department's drone can fly legally up to 400..

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US-China trade war turning into a tech war

It may have begun as a trade war, but the US conflict with China is increasingly becoming a technology war.
President Donald Trump's decision to confront Beijing over policies that he says discriminate against foreign companies and distort global markets has become a battle for control of advanced communications and computing technologies.
That evolution is taking the transpacific conflict into sensitive realms of national security and human rights, making a quick settlement an ever more distant outcome. It is also putting at risk a wide array of US-China technology cooperation, including easy access to visas for researchers and venture capital funds for US start-ups – and threatening to boomerang on US companies that China might retaliate against.
The administration's decision to blacklist one of China's most prominent companies, Huawei Technologies, along with the likelihood that US officials will take similar action against additional Chinese targets, means the adm..

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