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Flock Is Quietly Selling Powerful Drones That Scan License Plates From the Sky (futurism.com)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 65 points 2 months ago (9 children)

Are they going to follow FAA rules then or just do whatever they want and kill people every now and then when they crash/fall out of the sky?

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    How long can these even stay airborn? This is a REALLY stupid idea.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago*

    I mean, that's one of the easier problems to solve. Basically make them a Roomba that has a set flight plan where it returns to its charging station at the end, and have enough that they can swap out and still keep coverage.

    And depending on how it's made, powerless gliding is an option. They already use gliders in some places for speed limit enforcement.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago* (1 child)

    Well when they crash the company needs to replace the whole drone, so they are probably going to try to avoid that when possible.

    That said, they should have to obey faa regs, but while the laws for private use are pretty clear, the commercial use regulations are layered and sort of in flux. Major operators are always pushing to have laws adjusted, and because leadership in the US is generally overly supportive of big business, those changes often go into place.

    In other words, there ARE laws, but you know, it's the US, so they can probably change them.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    I think this will depend less on the FAA and more on local jurisdiction. the FAA doesn't really have that much restrictions in place for low altitude drones (< 400 ft) they require it to be registered due to commercial but, the 2026 modifications for usage removed a lot of the safety barriers and controls that were in place for them. Now it's basically as long as its registered and the lights are bright enough to be seen, it's allowed unless there's a local law forbidding it.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Isn't there an fcc rule about drones needing to be in the line of sight of the operator

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago*

    Yes. They are also not allowed to be over people (including traffic) unless it's just to pass over to move to another area with no people (not allowed to continuously pass over people) unless they are below a certain, very low, weight. I think only one drone fits that category last I checked.

    I have my commercial drone license but quit the job that required it so I am a little rusty on the rules

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