Drones. Fun and games or a dystopian nightmare? By: Nicky DiCarlo and Kelly Venechanos By: Nicky DiCarlo and Kelly Venechanos
What is a drone? • A vehicle designed to be used with no human on board. • Often uses 4 or more rotors. • Often equipped with cameras “A "drone," or "unmanned aircraft," is an aerial vehicle designed to be used without a human pilot onboard. Drones can be remote controlled or purely automated.” - Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Drones often use a 4 rotor design known as the quadcopter for stability and control. The number of these can be increased. “Domestic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Drones.” Electronic Privacy Information Center , n.d., www.eff.org/issues/surveillance-drones.
A Range of Size, Price, and Possibility Sources: Amazon.com “Yuneec Typhoon H UHD 4K Collision Avoidance Hexacopter Drone with Battery and ST16 Controller.” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B01AT4BKFU. “Akaso X5C 4CH 2.4GHz 6-Axis Gyro Headless RC Quadcopter with HD Camera, 360-degree 3D Rolling Mode RC Drone (Bonus MicroSD card & Blades Propellers included).” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B012SSR374. “DJI Phantom 3 Professional Quadcopter 4K UHD Video Camera Drone.” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B00VSITBJO. “Cheerson CX-10 Mini 2.4G 4CH 6-Axis LED RC Quadcopter Airplane Orange.” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B00KXZC762. “SKEYE Pico Drone - Remote Controlled - Micro Quadcopter with RTF Technology - One Year Warranty.” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B0187EDOYE. “Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Quadcopter - Snow.” Amazon.com , n.d. amzn.com/B00FS7SU7K.
Who is the intended buyer? Source: Parrot.com “Drones.” Parrot SA , n.d. www.parrot.com/us/Drones#see-also. “Minidrones.” Parrot SA , n.d. www.parrot.com/us/Minidrones#minidrones.
FAA Regulations (Part 107) • Must weigh less than 55lbs. (25kg) • Must remain within VLOS (Visual line-of- sight) • Must remain close enough to be seen with the naked eye. • Can only operate between 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. • Max speed of 100mph. • Max altitude of 400’ above ground or structure. *** - Part 107 does not apply to model aircraft that satisfy all of the criteria specified in section 336 of Public Law 112-95 (a.k.a. - FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012) . Unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 lbs. (25 kg). • Visual line-of-sight (VLOS) only; the unmanned aircraft must remain within VLOS of the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small UAS. Alternatively, the unmanned aircraft must remain within VLOS of the visual observer. • At all times the small unmanned aircraft must remain close enough to the remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small UAS for those people to be capable of seeing the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses. • Small unmanned aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation, not under a covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary vehicle. • Daylight-only operations, or civil twilight (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, local time) with appropriate anti-collision lighting. • Must yield right of way to other aircraft. • May use visual observer (VO) but not required. • First-person view camera cannot satisfy “see-and-avoid” requirement but can be used as long as requirement is satisfied in other ways. • Maximum groundspeed of 100 mph (87 knots). • Maximum altitude of 400 feet above ground level (AGL) or, if
FAA Regulations - “Model Aircraft” FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-95)- Section 336. the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft, if— (1) the aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use; (2) the aircraft is operated in accordance with a community- based set of safety guidelines and within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization; (3) the aircraft is limited to not more than 55 pounds unless otherwise certified through a design, construction, inspection, flight test, and operational safety program adminis- tered by a community-based organization; (4) the aircraft is operated in a manner that does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft; and (5) when flown within 5 miles of an airport, the operator of the aircraft provides the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport) with prior notice of the operation (model aircraft operators flying from a permanent location within 5 miles of an airport should establish a mutually-agreed upon operating procedure with the airport operator and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air traffic facility is located at the airport)). U.S. Congress. FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 . 112th Cong. Public Law 112-95. Congress.gov. Web. 6 November 2016.
FAA - Drone Registration • Mandatory Registration for all drones between .55 lbs and 55 lbs. • $5 Fee • Registration valid for 3 years. • Failure to register can mean up to 3 years in jail or fine of $250,000 • Only valid for non- commercial drones. “The FAA also announced the launch of a new mobile app for Apple and Android devices, B4UFLY , which will help drone owners avoid breaking the law. "We expect B4UFLY will help raise public awareness about what it means to operate unmanned aircraft safely," Huerta said. "It is another important part of our ... efforts to foster a culture of safety and accountability for the [unmanned aircraft systems] community." The app tells consumers where they can and can't fly a drone. Using the phone's location, it can detect nearby restricted airspace, like an airport, or areas with temporary flight restrictions like those near a fire or crime scene . It also features a planner mode that allows the user to see any time or location restrictions for upcoming flights. The FAA's registration process is operated using the honor system -- it's consumers' responsibility to register their drones. Not registering your drone could mean penalties of up to three years in jail, or as much as $250,000 in fines . Consumer electronics organizations estimated about 400,000 drones were sold this holiday alone. Registration is required for drones that weigh between 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds, which excludes many sub-$100 "toy" drones . Consumers enter basic information into FAA's online system and must acknowledge that they've read the FAA's basic safety guidelines. Registration costs $5 , but the fee will be refunded if you register by January 20. Registration is valid for three years , and hobbyists can register an unlimited number of drones. Drones used for commercial purposes must still register using the older, paper-based system. ” Marsh, Rene, and Kelly. “181,000 drones registered with FAA in two weeks.” CNN, 6 January 2016, money.cnn.com/2016/01/06/technology/faa-drone-registration/index.html.
Geofencing In November of 2015, popular drone maker DJI announced a “geofencing” feature which would be built into its drones. It would be constantly updated, and DJI drones within these geofenced areas would be unable to take off. Drones outside of them would be unable to fly into them. Geofencing for drones exists to keep drones out of restricted areas like airports or The White House. In July of this year, DJI gave their users and opt-out from the geofencing feature. “DJI Introduces New Geofencing System for its Drones.” DJI , 18 November 2015, www.dji.com/newsroom/news/dji-fly-safe-system. Kelion, Leo. “DJI drones gain geo-fencing safety feature opt-out.” BBC , 5 July 2016, www.bbc.com/news/technology-36717538.
Drone Optimism Looking on the bright side of life
Aerial Art - Intel’s Drone Light Show 2015 - Intel conducts a light show using 100 drones above Flugplatz Ahrenlohe, near Hamburg Germany. Software allowed the drones to be coordinated from the ground. Kaplan, Ken. “100 Dancing Drones Set World Record.” IQ , 6 January 2016, iq.intel.com/100-dancing-drones-set-world-record/.
October 7, 2016 - Intel conducts another light show, this time with 500 drones over Krailling, Germany “Intel’s 500 Drone Light Show | Intel.” YouTube , uploaded by Intel4 November 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOd4-T_p5fA. Kaplen, Ken. “500 Drones Light Night Sky to Set Record.” IQ , 4 November 2016, iq.intel.com/500-drones-light-show-sets-record/.
Drone Racing Drone racing is a “thing.” Pilots from around the world meet and compete for various prizes. These pilots put on VR style goggles and compete on various obstacle courses at high speed. Stock, David. “The new, underground sport of first-person drone racing.” Ars Technica UK , 14 August 2015, arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2015/08/first-person-drone-racing-the-underground-sport-of-quadcopter-flying/. Stock, David. “Drone World Championships: Drone racing in the land of Jurassic Park.” Ars Technica , 27 October 2016, arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/drone-world-racing-championships-hawaii-photos. Hodson, Hal. "Get In The Race." New Scientist 224.2991 (2014): 21. Academic Search Complete . Web. 5 Nov. 2016. Schneider, David. "Is U.S. Drone Racing Legal? Maaaaybe." Spectrum, IEEE 52.11 (2015): 19-20. Print.
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