The Federal Aviation Administration gave the green light to American Robotics this week to become the first company to operate smart drones without the need for pilots or spotters on the spot., company announced on Friday.
American Robotics, a Massachusetts industrial drone developer, will still need a human pilot to oversee the takeoff of each remote flight, so the process is not technically 100% autonomous because Virgin note. However, the decision brings the US one step closer to seeing commercial flights with fully automated commercial drones.
And once companies are able to significantly automated scale operations with drones, could “borrow efficiency for many of the industries that fuel our economy, such as agriculture, mining, transportation ”and other manufacturing sectors, the FAA said in approval documents on Wall Street Journal. In an FAA statement released on Friday, the agency added that “We conduct thorough safety assessments before issuing approvals for unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Once in the air, American Robotics’ The Scout drone works on its own. The aircraft independent navigate by default flight path with the help an acoustic a detection system to alert him to obstacles such as birds or other drones to avoid air accidents. It is also scheduled to fast ground if its systems detect faults and can automatically recharge at company time-proof drone housing and loading stations. These scout drones are oriented primarily to farmers, security and property staff market owners for air inspections and real-time analysis to supplement existing ones property maintenance routines.
“With these approvals, American Robotics is ushering in a new era of large-scale automated drone operations,” Reese Mozer, CEO and co-founder of American Robotics, said on Friday.. “With this set of approvals, American Robotics can safely launch our automated Scout platform to benefit the verticals of the energy, infrastructure, agriculture and security markets, helping to unlock the $ 100 billion projected commercial drone market.”
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Certain operating restrictions still apply. Conformable FAA-authorized waiver, American Robotics can only fly smart drones in certain rural areas of Kansas, Massachusetts and Nevada and cannot exceed altitudes of 400 feet, according to the Journal.
The FAA has previously authorized derogations beyond the line of sight for a select few companies, American Robotics included, to use drones that fly alone to inspect railways, pipelines, and other industrial sites as long as a human pilot or an observer stayed in proximity. But the signs of authorization this week a seminal legal stage, which paves the way for developers in the drone industry to expand operations for unmanned aircraft.