By Ian King
December 6, 2016
One of the main hurdles to drones’ ability to zip around the United States delivering packages is a requirement that they stay within their operator’s line of sight during daylight hours. Qualcomm is working on a solution that’s been right before our eyes: cellphone networks.
The rules from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration exist to help prevent accidents with commercial aircraft and mitigate the risk that drones could get out of control in areas where it’s not safe for them to go. By tapping into the networks of towers that connect phones to each other and to the Internet, drone operators would be able to track and manoeuvre them even when they aren’t visible.
The industry is desperate for a workaround to the FAA rules, which are hindering the widespread adoption of the devices, according to Tom Morrod, senior director for consumer electronics at industry researcher IHS Markit.
“This will have a particularly strong impact on retail and logistics uses for delivering goods,” he said.
Qualcomm, the largest maker of chips for mobile phones, has been testing its idea from the helipad on the roof of its San Diego headquarters. The location, the company says, is ideal because it’s inside airspace controlled by the nearby Miramar Marine Corps. Air Station and is regularly overflown by military aircraft. That provides lots of opportunity to prove the drones can operate safely in restricted airspace, go out of sight behind buildings and not get sucked up in the engines of an F-18.
The drone, “Qualcomm 1,” has to check in with Miramar control tower before taking to the skies. Qualcomm 1 is connected to the cellular networks and has so far done more than 550 flights in that congested area of “Top Gun” fame, gathering data in hopes of persuading regulators that drones can be safe on their own.
“With autonomy plus connectivity you have multiple mechanisms that ensure safety,” said Qualcomm’s Paul Guckian, who’s heading the research and development program to make drones more compatible with the new rules. “When you consider the safety of people on the ground and the safety of aircraft in the national airspace it’s all about fail-safe mechanisms redundancy.”
December 6, 2016
Drone flight lines
Bloomberg file photo
A DJI S1000 drone flies over Calvert Vaux Park in the borough of Brooklyn, N.Y.
One of the main hurdles to drones’ ability to zip around the United States delivering packages is a requirement that they stay within their operator’s line of sight during daylight hours. Qualcomm is working on a solution that’s been right before our eyes: cellphone networks.
The rules from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration exist to help prevent accidents with commercial aircraft and mitigate the risk that drones could get out of control in areas where it’s not safe for them to go. By tapping into the networks of towers that connect phones to each other and to the Internet, drone operators would be able to track and manoeuvre them even when they aren’t visible.
The industry is desperate for a workaround to the FAA rules, which are hindering the widespread adoption of the devices, according to Tom Morrod, senior director for consumer electronics at industry researcher IHS Markit.
“This will have a particularly strong impact on retail and logistics uses for delivering goods,” he said.
Qualcomm, the largest maker of chips for mobile phones, has been testing its idea from the helipad on the roof of its San Diego headquarters. The location, the company says, is ideal because it’s inside airspace controlled by the nearby Miramar Marine Corps. Air Station and is regularly overflown by military aircraft. That provides lots of opportunity to prove the drones can operate safely in restricted airspace, go out of sight behind buildings and not get sucked up in the engines of an F-18.
The drone, “Qualcomm 1,” has to check in with Miramar control tower before taking to the skies. Qualcomm 1 is connected to the cellular networks and has so far done more than 550 flights in that congested area of “Top Gun” fame, gathering data in hopes of persuading regulators that drones can be safe on their own.
“With autonomy plus connectivity you have multiple mechanisms that ensure safety,” said Qualcomm’s Paul Guckian, who’s heading the research and development program to make drones more compatible with the new rules. “When you consider the safety of people on the ground and the safety of aircraft in the national airspace it’s all about fail-safe mechanisms redundancy.”
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