World’s largest drone manufacturing company DJI, has been working on technology that would allow smartphone users to keep track of nearby drones. To detect the presence of a drone, it should be within the range of 0.62 miles, i.e., 1 km.
The company has planned to unveil its free app in 2020. The app will allow its users to identify any modern drone with a WiFi-aware enabled smartphone.
SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd executives told Reuters that their technology is still pending for its regulatory approval. Moreover, the remote identification technology is previously available on the market. Still, these are paid technologies, require expensive equipment, and are built to facilitate aviation groups like naval companies, airports, and law enforcement or military agencies.
Unauthorized drone flying and sightings have been the reason for many flight delays and canceling at airports. It causes the aviation industry to lose millions of dollars. The Chinese company said it is the first time that a free public app has been provided for the purpose of “enhanced safety, security, and peace of mind.”
The Japan Times has reported that after enabling the device to track drone, DJI has the aim to avoid the repressive actions of the remote-controlled or unmanned aircraft, after their growing usage.
DJI’s administration said that because people are concerned about privacy violations of drone flights, they tend to call for imposing restrictions on the usage of drones.
Vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI Brendan Schulman said in a statement,
“Around the world, aviation authorities have said remote ID is the key to allowing more complex drone use, and to solving concerns about safety and security. DJI’s direct drone-to-phone remote ID shows we’re committed to providing a solution in a way that is instantly usable worldwide without any additional infrastructure.”
In the past, DJI has already developed a drone tracking system, AeroSpace, which intends to build for other industries, but it didn’t welcome warmly by different manufacturers.
Featured image: Elmekkaoui abdelghani
