AUVSI Coalition Clears Up Flight Rules at CES 2015
The AirDog drone autonomously follows a skateboarder wearing an AirLeash at CES 2015. AUVSI photo.
AUVSI, with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the Small UAV Coalition, announced at CES 2015 its Know Before You Fly campaign, partly aimed at informing new drone users on how to safely and responsibly use their new systems.
Soon, materials from Know Before You Fly could be shipped as point-to-sale materials with unmanned aircraft, so new users will be aware of the regulations surrounding drones.
The coalition also picked up a new supporter — the Consumer Electronics Association itself. The association, which puts on the CES conference, signed on as the first supporter of the campaign.
“The truth is that UAVs have the opportunity to change so many things, some we can predict and some we cannot,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. He said this year the presence of unmanned aircraft at the show grew four times as large, and the association has a history of endorsing safety campaigns surrounding new technologies.
Jim Williams, manager of the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, highlighted a few of the rules one must follow to comply: fly under 400 feet, fly within line of sight and don’t fly for monetary compensation. And what exactly should someone do if they see someone disobeying the regulations?
“If you are concerned about someone’s health and immediate safety, yeah, call the police,” said Williams, to a local reporter who says he hears about a drone being flown over the Las Vegas Strip about once a week.
Williams urged commercial users seeking access to the airspace to get an FAA-authorized exemption.
“It’s fairly established in past history that people who are paid to do a job are more likely to take risks. … So that’s why the rules are different for those two activities. … Until the rules are changed, we have to enforce them as they read,” he said.
And he urged recreational users to take traditional education routes.
“We really urge all of the model aircraft flyers out there to join a model aircraft club.”
This year’s CES had its first Unmanned Systems Marketplace on one of its many show floors. The exhibit area featured many newer players in the industry that got their funding through Kickstarter.
Hexo+ debuted its drone that goes by the same name, which follows its user through a smartphone app connected via Bluetooth so the flyer can get real-time video content of what they are doing. Aimed at the sports market, the unmanned aircraft can fly for 15 minutes at a time.
“It’s basically the next evolution after the GoPro,” says Eva Pagneux, product owner at Hexo+.
The system is currently available for preorder in the United States and Europe.
With a similar product, Latvian company AirDog showcased its Kickstarter drone project that electronically tethers the system to its user via a device he or she would wear on their wrist, called AirLeash. The company showed off the drone’s skills at an outdoor exhibit, where the system shot video of a skateboarder on a halfpipe.
“You need no piloting skills,” says Janis Spogis, coowner of the company. He says the product is for people not interested in learning how to fly, but that want the end result video.
The company is shipping 10 of its foldable units after CES to testers. The company will take their feedback and tweak the system before it ships to customers in the second quarter of this year.
Automated Driving
Automakers have been increasingly attending the show, and this year saw more than ever: A record 10 automakers are exhibiting at the show, many of them showcasing self-driving technologies.
Mercedes displayed a new concept vehicle that could drive itself or be driven manually. The interior featured swivel chairs, so passengers could face each other if they desired as the car handled the task of driving.
The vehicle is a concept for technologies Mercedes expects to be on the road by 2030. It hasn’t been road tested yet, but many of the underlying technologies have been tested on S-class vehicles on public roads.
The vehicle was displayed on CES 2015’s opening days but was gone by Wednesday, on its way to the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
Fellow German automaker Audi also demonstrated its self-driving technology, showcasing Jack, a vehicle that drove itself to the show from Stanford University, a distance of 450 miles.
Jack carried four people on the trip, two Audi officials and two journalists, who live streamed the trip along the way. There were also several other vehicles accompanying the trip, enough so that Audi of America’s Arne Bartels said it was the only automated driving experience “you could see from space.”
