Aeroscope Would Allow Law Enforcement To Access Radio Transmissions Between Drone And Control Unit

Dronemaker DJI has demonstrated new technology that would allow law enforcement officials to access the radio transmissions between a drone and its remote control unit as a way of identifying and tracking the unmanned aircraft.

The Verge reports that the Aeroscope was debuted at an event Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. An authorized customer would be allowed to track any drone within a three-mile radius. It would show the aircraft's location, speed and altitude, as well as an identifier such as a registration or serial number.

Brendan Schulman, DJI’s VP of policy and legal affairs, told The Verge that the technology is all about improving an already-good safety record for unmanned aircraft. He said that Aeroscope is a way for authorities to "identify drones in sensitive locations, and providing drone pilots a way to show they understand how to fly safely.”

Schulman said that the company in no way supports a scheme that would allow a government to centrally track and record drone flights nationwide. The Aeroscope, he said, would collect data only on a small number of aircraft that are operating in an area where they might be a cause for concern. "We also want to make sure that remote identification solutions are not burdensome or costly for our customers,” he said.

The device will only track DJI drones at this time, but the company is inviting other manufacturers to make their aircraft trackable, a change that would only require a firmware update and no additional hardware.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report