The company can conduct an operational research study, flying drones under 400 feet, to develop an airspace management system. The data gathered will be shared with government partners to help regulators study questions about critical safety and human factors regarding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) cargo deliveries.
“In the next decade, the burgeoning commercial drone industry is projected to generate more than USD 82 billion for the US economy and, by 2025, could support as many as 100.000 new jobs,” White House representatives wrote in a fact sheet.To advance its drone programme, also known as Project Wing, Google will be permitted to fly drones on testing sites carrying cargo beyond the line of sight of human drone operators. Current regulation requires companies to petition the government to fly drones beyond an operator’s field of vision.
Google and Amazon have recently teamed up to make sure drones take off in the near future. Both companies joined a Federal Aviation Administration task force in October 2015 to hammer out the rules for registering and identifying drones. Big box store Wal-Mart is also part of the team.
The White House also revealed that New York, one of the FAA’s six drone-testing sites, will invest USD 5 million into drone projects to attract commercial drone activity to the state. As part of the effort, the state will create “an innovation district” for drones in an area between Syracuse and Rome, N.Y.
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