Aircraft Controlled Using Telepresence Technology Platform

The San Diego Fire Department has launched a pilot program to use drones to assist in its firefighting efforts. The aircraft will be equipped with cameras to give aerial views of fire scenes, use thermal imagers to help identify people or hotspots, and help firefighters on the ground plan the best course of action for fighting a fire.

VentureBeat reports that the aircraft will be launched by firefighters on the ground, but once airborne, they will be controlled using a telepresence platform developed by Cape. The platform allows users with no training to "log into Cape’s online cloud platform via their laptops, connect to crash proof physical drones located 1,000s of miles away, and fly the drones safely with ultra low latency controls and high resolution video— without touching any hardware (drones, batteries, transmitters, etc.) whatsoever," according to the company website.

The partnership between the SDFD and Cape is part of the FAA's unmanned aerial systems integration pilot program.

Cape CEO Chris Rittler told VentureBeat in a phone interview that San Diego is an ideal place to test drone applications because of its busy airspace. The city has the busiest single-runway airport in the U.S., and the airspace is used by Department of Homeland Security aircraft. It is also home to one of the busiest commercial airports in the country, and there are multiple military air bases in the region.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report