NFL Films, the media-production arm of the National Football League, has just been awarded the right to fly drones in NFL stadiums.
The NFL is the first major American sport league to receive such permission.
So, you can expect a bunch of cool aerial shots in all upcoming NFL Films productions, right?
Well, yeah – but there’s a catch.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which doles out the exemptions for commercial drones, has placed a bunch of restrictions on the NFL’s drone permission. Drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, only fly up to 400 feet, and travel no faster than 100 miles per hour.
There’s also this:
All Flight operations must be conducted at least 500 feet from all nonparticipating
persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures unless:
a. Barriers or structures are present that sufficiently protect nonparticipating persons
from the UA and/or debris in the event of an accident. The operator must ensure
that nonparticipating persons remain under such protection. If a situation arises
where nonparticipating persons leave such protection and are within 500 feet of
the UA, flight operations must cease immediately in a manner ensuring the safety
of nonparticipating persons; and
b. The owner/controller of any vessels, vehicles or structures has granted permission
for operating closer to those objects and the PIC has made a safety assessment of
the risk of operating closer to those objects and determined that it does not
present an undue hazard.
Basically, this means that the NFL’s drone flights cannot take place during actual games, with full stadiums. For now, NFL Films can only fly drones in empty stadiums.
Just for now, hopefully. Anyone who’s ever watched NFL Films can imagine how it would greatly benefit the program to have drones at its disposal.
Even with this drone exemption, the Super Bowl will likely stay a drone-free zone. Let’s just hope the FAA’s PSA can top last year’s odd display.
Aquila, Facebook’s internet-beaming drone, is complete and ready for testing.
Jay Parikh, VP of Global Engineering and Infrastructure, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg just pulled the cover off the device, which is carbon-fiber framed and solar-powered. Aquila has the wingspan of a 737, but weighs only as much as a Prius. Facebook’s plan is to drop it via ballon, and once deployed it will fly around an area for up to 90 days “beaming connectivity down to people from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet.”
It’s part of the company’s Internet.org effort, which aims to, among other things, provide internet and internet services to underserved communities.
“This effort is important because 10% of the world’s population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies,” says Zuckerberg. “Using aircraft to connect communities using lasers might seem like science fiction. But science fiction is often just science before its time. Over the coming months, we will test these systems in the real world and continue refining them so we can turn their promise into reality.”
Drones aren’t the only thing Facebook’s unveiling today. They’re also talking lasers:
Our laser communications team in Woodland Hills, California, has achieved a significant performance breakthrough. They’ve designed and lab-tested a laser that can deliver data at 10s of Gb per second — approximately 10x faster than the previous state-of-the-art in the industry — to a target the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away. We are now starting to test these lasers in real-world conditions. When finished, our laser communications system can be used to connect our aircraft with each other and with the ground, making it possible to create a stratospheric network that can extend to even the remotest regions of the world.
“Our goal is to accelerate the development of a new set of technologies that can drastically change the economics of deploying internet infrastructure. We are exploring a number of different approaches to this challenge, including aircraft, satellites and terrestrial solutions. Our intention is not to build networks and then operate them ourselves, but rather to quickly advance the state of these technologies to the point that they become viable solutions for operators and other partners to deploy,” says Parikh.
Facebook’s internet.org initiative has drawn some concerns over net neutrality, but Facebook’s efforts to beam actual internet with drones and lasers should be met with a little less criticism. A little.
Drones are coming. Commercial drones, that is. In so many years, the sky will be filled with small, unmanned aircraft delivering you pizzas. And new iPhones.
That’s been Amazon’s vision for years now, as the company tries to get its Prime Air drone delivery service off the ground. Standing in its way are longstanding rules and regulations concerning commercial aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration, NTSB, and other regulatory agencies have been moving to catch up with the explosion of drones, but nothing has happened as of yet that would facilitate a safe and legal drone delivery system.
In Amazon’s mind, what is needed is a sort of air traffic control system for drones.
“The majority of airspace integration efforts over the past decade have focused on integrating medium or large unmanned aircraft systems into non-segregated civil airspace, i.e. airspace above 500 feet where most civil and military aviation activities occur, says Amazon in a recent proposal. “However, given the rapidly growing small unmanned aircraft industry, Amazon believes the safest and most efficient environment for sUAS operations – from basic recreational users to sophisticated beyond-line-of-sight fleets – is in segregated civil airspace below 500 feet.”
Amazon has taken its new drone proposal to NASA’s UTM 2015 convention. In a paper titled Revising the Airspace Model for the Safe Integration of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, the company lays out its strategy for building a sort of drone superhighway, between 200 and 400 feet off the ground.
Amazon proposes a “high-speed transit” space between 200 and 400 feet. Below that, a “low-speed localized traffic” area – that’s for your drone hobbyists.
There would also be a 100ft-wide buffer zone atop the high-speed lane, in order to help prevent drones from interacting with larger aircraft.
Any drone that would fly in the high-speed lane must sport advanced GPS systems, online flight planning, the ability to communicate with other drones, and sensors to help avoid collisions.
“Highly-equipped sUAS will be capable of navigation, merging and sequencing, communication, maintaining safe self-separation, collision avoidance and deconfliction in congested airspace without operator assistance. Again, while many of the traditional ANSP responsibilities may be delegated, the underlying authority will still reside with the ANSP and/or the civil aviation authority. To help move this model forward, Amazon will collaborate with civil aviation authorities like the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as NASA and others, on research related to delegation and federation,” says Amazon.
This proposal is similar to what NASA and even other companies like Google have in mind.
A short YouTube video of a quadcopter has prompted an investigation from the Federal Aviation Administration.
This 14-second clip is simply titled “Flying Gun” and shows a handgun mounted on a quadcopter hovering above a wooded area. The gun fires a few shots and the video ends.
“Homemade multirotor with a semiautomatic handgun mounted on it. Note: The length from the muzzle to the rear of the frame is over 26,” reads the description.
The video has nearly two million views in less than two weeks on YouTube.
AFP reports that the FAA is now involved, and it wants to know if the “flying gun” maker has violated any laws.
“The FAA will investigate the operation of an unmanned aircraft system in a Connecticut park to determine if any Federal Aviation Regulations were violated,” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA will also work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes.”
Turns out, the gun-toting ‘drone’ was built by an 18-year-old in Connecticut, under the guidance of his father.
Haughwout’s father Brett Haughwout said his son is an engineering student at Central Connecticut State University, custom built a drone device that included a spot for a handgun and the capability to fire it midflight. The gun belongs to Brett.
Brett said the video that shows the drone firing the weapon was shot on their property in Clinton, Connecticut. The father and son duo did “extensive research” before assembling the flying weapon to make sure they wouldn’t break any laws.
Local officials said they don’t think the device breaks any state laws.
A video of a small drone crashing into the wing of an airplane isn’t real, so stop sharing it.
Or keep sharing it, but make sure you put it in the right context.
BranitFX uploaded a video on Tuesday titled “NYC Drone Collision (happens at 00:16)”. The short clip shows the wing of a plane, as filmed from inside the plane, being struck by a drone.
Apparently, the fact that it was posted to an SFX artist’s channel didn’t stop the masses from taking it as real, and sharing it all over social media.
Bruce Branit, creator of the video, took to his blog to explain everything.
“Lately, I’ve been looking for little videos to make with no budget, an iPhone and some CGI. After shooting this footage of NYC as we were climbing out of Laguardia (thanks FAA for finally letting us keep our phones in airplane mode during take-off), I thought it might be a challenge to make something go by or even strike the wing. This is the same air corridor that Captain “Skully” ditched his Airbus A320 in the Hudson after a double bird strike, saving all on-board. But I chose to make a drone zip past instead of a bird and tear off a section of the winglet,” he writes.
“So as the internet has figured out, despite it being on the same YouTube page as ‘There’s a Spider in my Ear’ and the company name on the wing…[it’s fake].”
According to Mashable, the hoax even spread up the ladder at Southwest Airlines. The airline even had to send out an internal memo:
We wanted to bring a fake drone strike video to your attention, as it is gaining momentum across the social web and sparking interest from traditional news media. The communication team has confirmed the video is fake, and is working with the FAA to squash any reports of it being real.
If achieving viral status was the goal, consider it achieved.
Making something viral is like fishing. Gotta put something good on the hook. But still no guarantee you're going to catch anything.
Another day, another drone flying too close to the White House.
The Secret Service arrested another person for flying something near the Presidential residence Thursday afternoon. From the New York Times:
About 1 p.m., Secret Service uniformed officers saw a drone flying roughly 100 feet above Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, the authorities said.
The man flying the drone complied with officers’ commands to land it, and he was arrested, they said. It is not clear whether the man intended to fly the drone over the White House.
They checked the drone and found it contained no explosives or other dangerous materials.
This is the second time in the last few months we’ve heard of unlawful drone activity near the White House. In January, a man crashed a drone into the White House lawn. He turned out to be a government employee, who happened to be inebriated at the time.
And just last month, a mailman from Florida flew a gyrocopter onto the West lawn of the Capitol building. According to authorities, he was carrying a letter for every member of Congress, calling for campaign finance reform.
Funnily enough, the Federal Aviation Administration just announced a new initiative – a “No Drone Zone” effort for Washington D.C.
“As hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to the Washington, D.C. area for their summer vacations and residents join them on city streets and at public gatherings, the Federal Aviation Administration has a clear message for everyone: Leave Your Drone at Home,” said the agency.
It’s illegal to fly drones inside D.C., as well as within a 15-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“Rules put in place after the 9/11 attacks establish “national defense airspace” over the D.C. area and limit aircraft operations – including unmanned aircraft – to those with an FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization. Violators may face stiff fines and criminal penalties,” says the FAA.
In a separate section of the report that we didn’t get into, they look at consumers’ attitudes toward the use of drones for product delivery, which may give us an idea of how people will respond to another project Amazon is trying to get off the ground (no pun intended…seriously).
While acknowledging that the reality of drone-based delivery is likely still pretty far off, the report finds that two-thirds of consumers (66%) think they will receive their first drone-delivered package within the next five years, and that consumers embrace the concept.
“Consumers want more than fast delivery –they now want it within the hour,” it says. “Drone-delivered packages may be an even bigger push toward a future where the majority of purchases are made online across multiple product categories. Four in five consumers say drone delivery to their doorsteps within an hour would make them more likely to purchase from a retailer.”
“Consumers don’t just expect to receive online orders by drone – they are also willing to pay for it,” it adds. “Almost 80 percent of consumers are willing to pay for drone delivery if their order arrived within an hour, with nearly half (48 percent) saying they would pay at least $5. Only 23 percent of consumers say they aren’t willing to pay for drone delivery, suggesting rapid delivery by air is fertile ground for retailers like Amazon that plan to push the limits of fast delivery.”
88% of consumers would trust drones with delivery of at least one type of product. Most say they would to so with books, clothing, and pet items. They’re not quite as eager to have drones deliver more expensive things. Only 15% would want to use drone delivery for luxury items.
While most consumers are apparently ready for the world of drones flying around everywhere delivering packages, some are unsurprisingly concerned about safety. The report found that among the 12% of those who said they wouldn’t trust drone delivery for any items, 74% cited safety concerns. 69% cited cost concerns, while 64% cited privacy, and 58% cited theft concerns. 57% cited technology concerns.
Of course drone delivery is not going to happen without clearance from the authorities. Last month, the FAA granted Amazon an “experimental airworthiness certificate,” which allows it to research and start training on its drones, but includes restrictions that prevent the company from sending the devices out of the pilot’s view.
The certificate also requires Amazon to provide monthly data to the FAA.
“The company must report the number of flights conducted, pilot duty time per flight, unusual hardware or software malfunctions, any deviations from air traffic controllers’ instructions, and any unintended loss of communication links. The FAA includes these reporting requirements in all UAS experimental airworthiness certificates,” said the FAA.
In February, the FAA released its proposal for new regulations on commercial drones, which would make Amazon Prime Air pretty hard to execute as a service.
The company said in a statement, “The FAA’s proposed rules for small UAS could take one or two years to be adopted and, based on the proposal, even then those rules wouldn’t allow Prime Air to operate in the United States. The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers. We are committed to realizing our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need.”
The offering is expected to be offered in Europe first.
Meanwhile, Google has been working to redesign its delivery drones after the initial design for “Project Wing” didn’t quite work out.
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Amazon an “experimental airworthiness certificate” that allows the company to begin research and training on its fleet of delivery drones, what the company calls Amazon Prime Air. Unfortunately for Amazon, the certificate comes with some of the same restrictions the FAA proposed in its comprehensive drone regulations back in February.
“The Federal Aviation Administration today issued an experimental airworthiness certificate to an Amazon Logistics, Inc. unmanned aircraft (UAS) design that the company will use for research and development and crew training. The FAA typically issues experimental certificates to manufacturers and technology developers to operate a UAS that does not have a type certificate,” said the FAA in a release.
The FAA says that the certificate only allows daylight drone flights with a 400-foot max height. Also, the drone pilot is required to have “at least a private pilot’s certificate and current medical certification.”
But probably the most troublesome to Amazon’s drone purposes is the line-of-sight rule, which limits all drone flights to those in which the pilot can physically see the aircraft.
“The certificate also requires Amazon to provide monthly data to the FAA. The company must report the number of flights conducted, pilot duty time per flight, unusual hardware or software malfunctions, any deviations from air traffic controllers’ instructions, and any unintended loss of communication links. The FAA includes these reporting requirements in all UAS experimental airworthiness certificates,” said the FAA.
Last month, the FAA released its long-awaited proposal for new regulations on commercial drones. The proposed rules were not as restrictive as some feared, but they do limit drone flight enough to make Amazon’s dream of drone delivery pretty difficult to nearly impossible.
Amazon wasn’t thrilled, saying,
“The FAA’s proposed rules for small UAS could take one or two years to be adopted and, based on the proposal, even then those rules wouldn’t allow Prime Air to operate in the United States. The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers. We are committed to realizing our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need.”
In other words, we’re going overseas.
The FAA’s new exemption may work for testing, and convince Amazon to stay here with that – but the rules the agency has proposed are in no way Amazon-friendly. Unless something changes, a future where your new pair of shoes is quietly dropped off by a quadcopter looks like a longshot.
The Federal Aviation Administration has finally released its long-awaited proposal for new regulations on commercial drones. The proposed rules are not as restrictive as some feared, but they do limit drone flight enough to render something like Amazon’s Prime Air delivery scheme virtually impossible.
Up until now, it’s been illegal to fly drones for commercial purposes without a special exemption from the FAA. With the new rules, commercial drone use would be legal under certain guidelines. All of these rules apply to “small UAS” – 55 pounds and below.
First of all, not just anyone can fly a drone. All drone “operators” must be at least 17 years old and must pass an aeronautical knowledge test and obtain an FAA UAS operator certificate. Not only that, but they must maintain certification by passing the knowledge test every two years.
There are major restrictions on how these operators can fly their drones. This is what kills Amazon’s (and now many other companies’) drone delivery dreams:
The proposed rule would require an operator to maintain visual line of sight of a small UAS. The rule would allow, but not require, an operator to work with a visual observer who would maintain constant visual contact with the aircraft. The operator would still need to be able to see the UAS with unaided vision (except for glasses). The FAA is asking for comments on whether the rules should permit operations beyond line of sight, and if so, what the appropriate limits should be.
“We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”
Amazon, as you might expect, isn’t thrilled with the FAA’s new rules.
The line of sight rule is the real killer, and many companies argue that the technology to safely operate drones outside the line of sight is available.
The public comment period, which will surely include a lot of conversation about “stifling business innovation”, could take as long as two years.
The Federal Aviation Administration would like you to please refrain from flying your unmanned aircraft over the Super Bowl.
“Many familiar sounds are associated with the Super Bowl: Cheering fans. Referee whistles. The spectacular halftime show. Booming fireworks. But one sound you shouldn’t hear is the whirring of an unmanned aircraft overhead. The Super Bowl is strictly a ‘No Drone Zone,’” says the FAA.
Of course, “No Drone Zone” is so catchy that the FAA felt compelled to produce a 15-second PSA.
According to the FAA, flying drones over any NFL game is against the law. The “no drone zone” also applies to most college stadiums and MLB fields. Violators face both criminal and civil penalties.
In what CNN has dubbed a “historic” interview, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul spent a little over a minute answering questions via Snapchat.
I’m guessing that’s the historic part, as CNN says this is the first-ever Snapchat interview with a U.S. lawmaker.
Paul was asked about a handful of topics, including the 2016 race, Hillary Clinton, and drones. Considering the fact that a drunk government employee just crashed a drone into the White House lawn, drones are a pretty hot topic of conversation.
So, what did the possible Presidential candidate have to say about drones?
“Drones should only be used according to the Constitution … but if they fly over my house, they better beware because I’ve got a shotgun.”
We now know a little bit more about the guy who crashed a drone into the White House lawn in the early morning hours on Monday.
The Secret Service has confirmed that the man is a government employee, who works for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The NGA is the ” nation’s primary source of geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Intelligence Community”. It employs around 14,500 government civilians, military members, and contractors.
Also, we now know at least part of the reason he crashed the drone – he’d been drinking.
Here’s the story, from the New York Times:
Officials say the plan was foiled, perhaps by the wind or a tree, when the employee — who is not being named by the Secret Service — lost control of the drone. He texted his friends, worried that the drone had gone down on the White House grounds.
Investigators said the man had been drinking at an apartment nearby. It was not until the next morning, when he woke to his friends telling him that his drone was all over the news, that he contacted his employer, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and then called the Secret Service to confess.
The NGA has released a statement on the incident, saying that the employee who crashed the drone does not work on drones as part of his official duties.
It’s illegal to operate personal drones in Washington, D.C. It’s not known at this time what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken against the man.
The White House was on lockdown early Monday morning as the Secret Service combed the perimeter after discovering a small device on the grounds. That device has now been described as a small drone.
According to the White House, there’s no indication that the device posed any threat.
“There is a device that has been recovered by the Secret Service at the White House. The early indications are that it does not pose any sort of ongoing threat to anybody at the White House,” said press secretary Josh Earnest. He’s currently with President Obama and the First Lady, who are both in India.
There’s likely quite a bit of overlap when it comes to GoPro enthusiasts and drone enthusiasts – and strapping a GoPro to a drone is a great way to get tricky aerial shots. I guess it makes sense that the makers of the former would want to cut out the middleman and just develop their own versions of the latter.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal wherein they quote the ubiquitous ‘sources familiar with the matter’, GoPro is currently developing its own consumer drones,
GoPro’s new drones would come equipped with some version of their incredibly popular, famously durable cameras and will cost somewhere between $500 and $1,000.
The company didn’t exactly confirm its plans to the WSJ, but it did hint that it was interested and even invested in drone technology. From the WSJ:
In an email, a GoPro spokesman said the company’s users are already producing “jaw-dropping GoPro footage recorded from quadcopters,” or drones. He added, “Earlier this year, to study the policy implications and to protect the rights of our users, GoPro joined the Washington-based Small UAV Coalition,” a drone advocacy group.
It’s important to note that we’re talking about consumer drones here – which haven’t faced the same kind of hurdles that commercial drones have so far been unable to leap.
You should start looking for the new GoPro drones to hit the market some time in late 2015. There are already a handful of companies that are working to establish themselves in this arena – but the company’s name recognition alone should ensure that GoPro makes a splash.
The Federal Aviation Administration is poised to propose new rules for commercial drones by year’s end, and if they look anything like what the Wall Street Journal is reporting – it’s going to be a rough day for businesses and drone enthusiasts.
According to the report, the FAA is planning some rather restrictive new rules for commercial drones under 55 pounds. Apparently, the FAA wants all drones operators to be real pilots.
“[P}ilot certifications likely to be proposed by the FAA would typically require dozens of hours flying manned aircraft, according to people familiar with the rule-making discussions,” reports the WSJ.
There will also be other restrictions on the drones’ actual flight. The FAA wants limit commercial drone operation to daylight hours, make sure that drones never fly higher than 400 feet, and require that the drone operator never lose line of sight with the drone.
Also a bummer for small drone enthusiasts – there might be no differentiation between super-lightweight drones and those weighing up to 55 pounds. From the WSJ:
The agency also plans to group all drones weighing less than 55 pounds under one set of rules. That would dash hopes for looser rules on the smallest drones, such as the 2.8-pound Phantom line of camera-equipped, four-rotor helicopters made by China’s SZ DJI Technology Co. Similar-sized devices are seen as the most commercially viable drones and have surged in popularity in the last two years.
Until the FAA sets new rules for commercial drones (which could take a couple years even after proposing them), the agency will continue to issue exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Back in September, the FAA approved drone use for certain film/TV production companies. These rumored regulations could put a damper on that end of drone use, as well.
It was just under a year ago that Amazon revealed Amazon Prime Air, its ambitious project that would see the online retail giant delivering packages to customers by drones. The announcement was met with a great deal of skepticism (for a variety or reasons), but Amazon has shown no signs of backing off from the goal.
“One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today,” Amazon said back then. Since then, it’s already been working on newer models of the drones. It April, CEO Jeff Bezos said the company was already working on its 7th and 8th-generation models.
Now, Amazon is reportedly expanding its R&D efforts in Cambridge, which includes an increased focus on Amazon Prime Air. Natasha Lomas at TechCrunch reports:
A source familiar with the company’s plans told TechCrunch it will focus on Prime Air, its autonomous delivery drones project, and on beefing up its speech tech R&D team.
The e-commerce giant has been staffing up for Prime Air over the summer, including seeking hires in Cambridge. It has continued advertising for Prime Air positions in the U.K. university town this fall, including a Flight Operations Engineer role posted this month, a Site Leader role posted in October and a Senior Research Scientist role posted in September. The latter asks for “experience applying machine learning approaches to complex problems,” among other skills.
According to the report, the new R&D expansion will also include work on speech technology.
In August, rival Google introduced its own delivery drones under the name Project Wing. We haven’t heard a whole lot about that since then.
Amazon, however, has been frequently increasing its methods of getting products to people. It’s even been testing same-day delivery by taxi.
Wanna see a hawk that hates drones as much as the FAA?
A hawk flying above Magazine Beach park in Cambridge, Massachusetts saw a quadcopter drone all up in its business and decided to do what a hawk should do in such a situation – take it the f–k out.
“On Oct 8th, I was flying my quadcopter at Magazine Beach Park in Cambridge, when a hawk decided he wasn’t too happy with my invasion of his airspace… As far as I could tell, the hawk came out unscathed, and having defeated his prey, was happy to retreat. (As soon as he flew at me, I throttled down the props to try to minimize any harm to the bird.) The quadcopter came out unscathed as well,” says the owner of the quadcopter and invader of airspace Christopher Schmidt.
Good thing both survived. I think we can share the skies. Can there be a peace?
California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have instituted regulations on drone use by public agencies – including the police. Among other things, the bill would have forced police, in most cases, to obtain a warrant to surveil the public with unmanned aircraft systems.
“I am returning Assembly Bill 1327 without my signature,” said Gov. Brown in his veto letter. “There are undoubtedly circumstances where a warrant is appropriate. The bill’s exceptions, however, appear to be too narrow and could impose requirements beyond what is required by either the 4th Amendment or the privacy provisions in the California Constitution.”
What are these ‘narrow’ exemptions? According to the text of the bill:
(1) emergency situations if there is an imminent threat to life or of great bodily harm, including, but not limited to, fires, hostage crises, “hot pursuit” situations if reasonably necessary to prevent harm to law enforcement officers or others, and search and rescue operations on land or water.
(2) To assess the necessity of first responders in situations relating to traffic accidents.
(3) (A) To inspect state parks and wilderness areas for illegal vegetation or fires.
All other public agencies (other than law enforcement) would be able to operate drones – after reasonable public notice – if it was to “achieve the core mission of the agency provided that the purpose is unrelated to the gathering of criminal intelligence.”
The bill’s author, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, is none too pleased with the veto.
“We’re increasingly living in a surveillance society as the government uses new technology to track and watch the activities of Americans,” he told the LA Times. “It’s disappointing that the governor decided to side with law enforcement in this case over the privacy interests of California.”
It's very disappointing Gov. Brown vetoed #AB1327 – The #Drone Privacy Protection Act. The era of govt. surveillance continues. #nsa#irs
The bill had the full support of privacy advocates. As Ars Technica points out, 10 states have already enacted similar legislation, forcing police to obtain warrants for drone surveillance.
As expected, the FAA has officially granted six aerial photo and video production companies exemptions to fly drones for the purposes of movie and TV filming.
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who announced the decision, said that it was “a significant milestone in broadening commercial UAS use while ensuring we maintain our world-class safety record in all forms of flight.
“These companies are blazing a trail that others are already following, offering the promise of new advances in agriculture and utility safety and maintenance,” he added.
In other words, open the floodgates.
The seven production companies first petitioned the FAA for exemptions back in June, with the help of the MPAA. The industry had been pushing for this for a while, and this is indeed a victory. Six of the seven applications have been approved, with one still pending.
“The applicants submitted UAS flight manuals with detailed safety procedures that were a key factor in our approval of their requests,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We are thoroughly satisfied these operations will not pose a hazard to other aircraft or to people and property on the ground.”
The production companies had to prove that their UAS operations “would not adversely affect safety, or would provide at least an equal level of safety to the rules from which they seek the exemptions.”
As the New York Times points out, this is a huge moment. It’ll be the first time that a company, located in the US, will legally fly drones over other humans. The first FAA-approved commercial drone flight over land, granted to AeroVironment’s Puma AE, surveyed BP’s oil pipelines in Alaska.
The Federal Aviation Administration is poised to approve exemptions for seven aerial photo and video production companies, allowing them to lawfully operate their unmanned aircraft systems for the purposes of filming movies and television shows.
Both Bloomberg and Reuters quote sources familiar with the matter who say the FAA will let these seven production companies fly their small drones on closed sets. The administration is expected to make the official announcement as early as Thursday.
The seven production companies first petitioned the FAA for exemptions back in June, with the help of the MPAA. The film and television industry had been pushing for this for a long time, but those were the first formal requests. FIlm and TV companies argue that not only are drones a most cost-effective way to achieve aerial shots (as opposed to let’s say, a helicopter), but it would allow them to shoot in the US, instead of having to go outside the country to film in areas with more lenient rules regulating unmanned aircraft.
The film industry is just one of many looking to employ UAS these days. You probably already know about Amazon, who recently petitioned the FAA for an exemption from its commercial drone ban. Amazon, of course, is trying to build a fleet of delivery drones – which the company says will one day we as commonplace as mail trucks.
Other industries like precision agriculture, power line and pipeline inspection, and oil and gas flare stack inspection are also pushing into the drone game. In June, the first FAA-approved commercial drone flight over land was handed to AeroVironment’s Puma AE, which BP will use to survey pipelines in Alaska.
Late last year, Amazon introduced Amazon Prime Air, its ambitious effort to bring a delivery-by-drone experience to customers. I don’t suppose it should come as much of a surprise that Google is also working on delivery drones. Perhaps a little more surprising is that they’ve been doing so for two years in secret.
The secret is out. Google made the announcement last night, sharing the following video.
This is Project Wing.
“As part of our research, we built a vehicle and traveled to Queensland, Australia for some test flights,” Google says in the video description. “There, we successfully delivered a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water to a couple of Australian farmers. We’re only just beginning to develop the technology to make a safe delivery system possible, but we think that there’s tremendous potential to transport goods more quickly, safely and efficiently.”
Project Wing is a project from Google [X], the arm of Google that is responsible for things like self-driving cars, Google Glass, Google contact lenses, and Project Loon, Google’s Internet balloons. Google is also working with robots outside of Google [X]. Former Android chief Andy Rubin moved over to a Google-run robotics lab last year, and the company has acquired a number of robot companies, including the well-known Boston Dynamics.
Google says it’s currently looking for partners who can help bring Project Wing’s technology to the world.
