In an effort to combat wayward drone pilots, a leading manufacturer of consumer drones is taking action to prevent its drones from flying over sensitive areas, such as the White House.
DJI, the Chinese-based company known for its white-shelled Phantom quadcopter, the same model that crashed on the White House grounds earlier this week, said it will release a mandatory firmware update to all Phantom drones that will restrict flight within a 15.5 mile radius centered around downtown Washington D.C. Pilots looking to operate their Phantom drone will not be able to take off or fly within the no-fly-zone.
Based off a drone’s GPS coordinates, the technology to geo-fence drones from entering a particular airspace, especially around major airports, has been around in Phantoms since early last year. The new update will add more airports to its no-fly-zone database as the 709 no-fly-zones already in the Phantom’s flight controller software will expand to more than 10,000, with additional restrictions added to prevent flight across national borders.
By providing restrictions for the use of its drones, DJI is providing a glimpse into possible future drone regulations in the United States, which will likely include geo-fencing for not just Phantom drones, but all drones operating commercially.
Most importantly, DJI’s firmware update will prevent accidents like the White House crash-landing from ever occurring in the first place, especially as the U.S. drone industry waits anxiously for the Federal Aviation Administration to enact wider drone regulations.
