U.S. to allow small drones to fly over people and at night
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that small drones will soon be able to operate at night in the US and fly over people. This represents a significant step towards the current trend in automated commercial delivery services. The long awaited drone rules will also address security concerns
Intel Agencies Seek to Perfect Biometric Recognition from Drones
The intelligence community is seeking to add biometric identification technology to drones, however, it has faced difficulties when implementing facial recognition on the flying devices. Early experiments show that facial recognition technology’s reliability is highly dependent on lighting, camera position, and environmental factors. These elements are difficult to control at
Transportation Department Rolls Out New Program to Further Drive Drone Integration
The UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) was created through a presidential memorandum and began in October of 2017. The three-year program has now come to a close, however, the Transportation Department has now launched a new initiative to address the remaining challenges facing the implementation of unmanned aircraft systems operating
Small, DIU-Approved Drones to be Made Available for Agencies to Purchase
Federal agencies will soon be able to purchase small Defense innovation Unit-tested drones through the General Services Administration schedule. The products will come from five companies that have been in collaboration with the government to produce and design the drones. Companies including Vantage Robotics, Parrot, and Skydio will be available
DJI Drone App Riddled With Privacy Issues, Researchers Allege
According to researchers with Synacktiv, several privacy errors and vulnerabilities lie within the DJI GO 4 application, which is designed to act as a remote control app for the DJI drone models. According to researchers, the application opens users’ sensitive data and continues to run in the background after it’s
Researchers Use AI to Spot Drone Pilots
Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have developed a system that locates the operators of a drone by analyzing how the vehicle moves through the air. This could provide law enforcement and military personnel with a solution in tracking malicious drone and preventing millions of dollars
DHS Wants to Know What the Public Thinks About Using Drones During Emergencies
As drones gain in popularity among law enforcement and first responders, the Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate is interested in public opinion on the ethics and affectability of the technology. The drones currently are deployed in a range of emergency response capabilities, from monitoring wildfires, tracking protestors, and
Big Tech and Aviation Companies to Set Standards For New Drone-Tracking System
In December, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a proposed rule to establish a solidified system for identifying unnamed aerial vehicles called Remote ID. Recently, the agency has announced the vendors it has chosen to develop the standards and underlying technology for tracking drones. The proposal rule created framework for
How the Justice Department is Permitted to Use Counter-Drone Technology
Last week, Attorney General William Barr released a publication designed to guide the Justice Department in their use of protective counter-drone actions taken against unmanned aircraft systems that could potentially threaten national security or its facilities. In 2018, Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Transportation Department drafted a 22-page
Drones Take Italians’ Temperature and Issue Fines
In the northern province of Bergamo, Italy, drones are being used to ensure lockdown orders are being adhered to. The drone fleet was commissioned by the government to combat the pandemic and can perform functions such as taking temperatures, fining violators, and enforcing regulations. The drones take an individual’s temperature