UPDATED 00:42 EDT / OCTOBER 26 2017

EMERGING TECH

Trump administration clears the path for more drone testing

Following through on President Donald Trump’s promise to support the drone industry, the White House said today it’s clearing the path for more testing of the flying devices.

The “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program” will allow tech companies to work with states and cities around the U.S. to test their drones in ways that were previously not permitted. In 2016 the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration set up the guidelines for drone use, although some tech companies have moved their testing operations overseas where the rules are not as strict.

In 2016 Amazon.com Inc. turned to the U.K. to test its Prime Air delivery drones after the FAA refused to budge on its strict requirements. At the time, Amazon said, “This announcement strengthens our partnership with the U.K. and brings Amazon closer to our goal of using drones to safely deliver parcels in 30 minutes to customers in the U.K. and elsewhere around the world.”

It now seems that the current administration is concerned with the potential for the drone industry to develop outside the U.S. In October, Google LLC and its drone delivery initiative Project Wing partnered with Australian businesses to “train our systems to reliably identify safe and convenient delivery locations.”

“The pilot program will evaluate a variety of operational concepts, including night operations [restrictions in the past only permitted daytime use of drones for commercial purposes] flights over people, flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, package delivery, detect-and-avoid technologies, counter-UAS security operations, and the reliability and security of data links between pilot and aircraft,” the U.S. Department of Transportation wrote on its website.

The FAA wrote that tech companies will now have the opportunity to demonstrate their technologies in U.S. airspace while addressing the challenges of unmanned aircraft deployment. “At the same time, the program recognizes the importance of community participation in meaningful discussions about balancing local and national interests related to integrating unmanned aircraft,” wrote the FAA.

Five partnerships can enter the program in the U.S. after the DOT has evaluated applications. According to the DOT, it’s looking for applicants that can ensure drone tests will include “economic, geographic and climatic diversity.” Communities must be involved and companies’ proposals must prove that the tests are in the public interest.

Image: Rolf_Rodak via Pixabay

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