A UAV-blasting rifle sound great, but is there a better way to stop trespassing drones?
DJI has introduced a new ‘geofencing’ system that will prevent drones from flying into restricted airspace.
According to US drone maker, the drone “will by default not fly into or take off in locations that raise safety or security concerns”.
DJI, the current market leader for drones, plans to send the system live in December to help improve health and safety.
If this all sounds a bit ‘nanny-state’ to you, don’t worry –
If you have a verified DJI account – that means an attached credit card, debit card, or mobile phone number – you can temporarily unlock or “self-authorise” in “some of those locations”.
However, the unlock function won’t be available for “sensitive national-security locations” like Washington, D.C.
The unlocking service will be free, and DJI has pledged not to store verification information.
Related: DJI Phantom 3 Professional review
“DJI invented geofencing over two years ago and now continues its industry leadership by balancing enhanced safety with the flexibility of accountable self-authorisation,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI’s VP of Policy and Legal Affairs.
Schulman continued: “We believe this major upgrade to our geofencing system will do even more to help operators understand their local flight environment, and to make smart, educated decisions about when and where to fly their drones.”
He added: “Our years of actual user experience have shown that in most instances, strict geofencing is the wrong approach for this technology, and instead we are helping operators make informed, accountable decisions.”
The system will launch first in North America and Europe, while other regions will “receive an update to airport data”.
Check out our ‘Samsung Gear VR – Is this the future?’ video below:
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.