WEBVTT - Keeping an Eye on Crowded Skies

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<v Speaker 1>As consumer drones become more affordable and take to the skies,

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<v Speaker 1>some manufacturers are implementing systems to avoid future catastrophe. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>Jonathan Strickland, and this is tech stuff daily. In many

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<v Speaker 1>parts of the world, you can buy a drone up

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<v Speaker 1>to a certain weight and operate it without any need

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<v Speaker 1>for a license or other legal documents. You might be

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<v Speaker 1>expected to follow certain rules, such as keeping your drone

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<v Speaker 1>away from the airspace around airports, but for the most part,

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<v Speaker 1>there aren't that many rules and restrictions to navigate around.

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<v Speaker 1>That's exactly what the drone manufacturers want, and in an

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<v Speaker 1>effort to preserve the status quo, some of them are

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<v Speaker 1>coming up with air traffic systems. In the United States,

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<v Speaker 1>the Federal Aviation Administration or f a A has a

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<v Speaker 1>few requirements for drone pilots. If you plan to operate

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<v Speaker 1>your drone commercially, for example, on a professional film or

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<v Speaker 1>video shoot, you'll need to apply for a remote pilot license.

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<v Speaker 1>This requires taking an aeronautical knowledge test. Pilots have to

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<v Speaker 1>be at least sixteen years old and go through a

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<v Speaker 1>vetting process with the Transportation Safety Administration or t s A.

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<v Speaker 1>Once registered, commercial pilots have some further rules to follow.

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<v Speaker 1>They must keep their vehicles within line of sight at

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<v Speaker 1>all times. They have an altitude ceiling limit of four

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<v Speaker 1>hundred feet, and the drones have a speed limit of

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred miles per hour. They must fly the drones

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<v Speaker 1>during the day, and pilots have to avoid flying drones

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<v Speaker 1>over crowds of people, and they're not allowed to control

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<v Speaker 1>them from a moving vehicle. Recreational pilots have fewer requirements.

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<v Speaker 1>You still have to register your drone with the f

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<v Speaker 1>a A if the drone weighs more than point five

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<v Speaker 1>five pounds. Failure to do so could result in a

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<v Speaker 1>fine if your drone is ever involved in an accident.

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<v Speaker 1>There's also an age requirement for recreational pilots, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>down to thirteen years old. You're not allowed to fly

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<v Speaker 1>within five miles of an airport or near emergency responders.

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<v Speaker 1>Generally speaking, you just need to follow the same basic

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<v Speaker 1>guidelines at the pilot of a remote controlled airplane would

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<v Speaker 1>adhere to. One of the companies trying to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>regulations don't get more restrictive is d j I, a

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<v Speaker 1>drone company with headquarters in China. The company hopes to

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<v Speaker 1>stay out ahead of regulatory agencies like the f a

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<v Speaker 1>A in the United States or the Civil Aviation Authority

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<v Speaker 1>in the UK. This is similar to how the video

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<v Speaker 1>games industry voluntarily assigns ratings to video games to indicate

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<v Speaker 1>how old a players should be to experience those games.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all in an effort to self regulate before some

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<v Speaker 1>other entity comes in and starts giving orders. So what

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<v Speaker 1>are the details behind dj ees strategy. First, the drones

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<v Speaker 1>aren't going to communicate with existing air traffic control systems.

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<v Speaker 1>They will communicate over Wi Fi frequencies, specifically the two

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<v Speaker 1>point four and five point eight Gigga Hurts WiFi bands.

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<v Speaker 1>The drones will broadcast information such as their position, velocity,

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<v Speaker 1>and altitude, as well as the make and model of

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<v Speaker 1>the drone. The system, dubbed arrow Space, will allow pilots

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<v Speaker 1>to include additional information if required by their respective countries.

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<v Speaker 1>The information could include contact information for the pilot or

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<v Speaker 1>the registration number for the drone if its size and

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<v Speaker 1>operation requires such a number. A ground station will be

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<v Speaker 1>able to detect, track, and identify drones within a five

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<v Speaker 1>kilometer radius. These stations can be in fixed locations such

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<v Speaker 1>as the outskirts of airports, or they can be installed

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<v Speaker 1>inside vans and turned into mobile air traffic systems. The

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<v Speaker 1>WiFi signals are on an entirely different frequency from those

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<v Speaker 1>used by air traffic control. According to d j I,

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<v Speaker 1>this decision was necessary. If a TC picked up all

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<v Speaker 1>the drones in an area, the signals might make it

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<v Speaker 1>more challenging to identify and assist incoming aircraft. It becomes

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<v Speaker 1>a problem of separating the signal from the noise. Because

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<v Speaker 1>d j I drones already have WiFi capabilities, there's no

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<v Speaker 1>need to upgrade older models with physical alterations. The system

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<v Speaker 1>can be rolled out as a software patch. D j

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<v Speaker 1>I drone owners just need to update their drones system

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<v Speaker 1>to incorporate the new features. As the skies fill up

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<v Speaker 1>with more drones, from those operated by hobbyists to commercial

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<v Speaker 1>unmanned aerial vehicles, delivering packages to your front door, systems

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<v Speaker 1>like the one d j I is implementing will become

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<v Speaker 1>more important. It's possible that governments may step in at

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<v Speaker 1>some point if things get even more hectic. For the

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<v Speaker 1>time being, these industry initiated systems may do the trick nicely.

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<v Speaker 1>To learn more about drones, robots, and other electronics. Subscribe

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<v Speaker 1>to the tech Stuff podcast. Each episode is a long

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<v Speaker 1>form exploration of some aspect of technology, from specific gadgets

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<v Speaker 1>to the stories behind famous tech companies. That's all for today,

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<v Speaker 1>See you again soon