Recent drone news and a few predictions for the unmanned aircraft industry in 2019.
What’s the best anti-drone technology? Rain, it turns out. The New York Police Department had planned to utilize drones with cameras for the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, but inclement weather prevented their use.
With Gatwick and the Aeromexico 737 incident, safety is on people’s minds. State and local governments are likely to continue to legislate drone rules that address safety and privacy.
The Sussex Police department’s chief constable says some of drone sightings might have been police surveillance drones. However, 92 of the 115 reported sightings have been confirmed.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the “military capability” has been withdrawn from Gatwick. That capability is believed to include the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system. Also, Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks.
A bipartisan Senate inquiry into drone safety regulations reported out in July 2018, but the Australian federal government didn’t respond. Until now.
On Dec 31, 2018, the M48 motorway crossing the Severn River between England and Wales was closed for a time until the drone operator came off the tower. He was arrested and is out on bail.
A fleet of drones will monitor 50 beaches along a 1,300-mile coastline for sharks. The drones will use “SharkSpotter” software developed by the University of Technology Sydney. From the Press Release:
In a collaboration with industry partner The Ripper Group, SharkSpotter is a world-first software system that allows for faster reaction times to potential shark threats. Westpac Little Ripper has a suite of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS, drones) created to react quickly and efficiently to situations at sea where lives are at risk. The drones are loaded with the SharkSpotter AI application which can efficiently distinguish and identify sharks in real-time using...
