Drones get OK’d to fly, lend a helping hand

Drones are becoming more and more apparent in everyday life. When they aren’t being used to film tricky angles in the next Fast and the Furious movie (we know... give it a break), they’re being used to ticket drivers with a particularly heavy foot. While certain people are a bit nervous around the flying machinery, some new drones may win their hearts for the very cool services they are providing to society.

Draganflyer X4ES (image courtesy of DraganFly)

Probably one of the coolest new drones out on the market is the Draganflyer X4ES, which will be used as a farmhand to farmers by monitoring crops and testing soil quality. The 36.25in box is equipped with Sony cameras and is similar to a helicopter in its flight style. The drone was recently approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration to engage in a clinical trial on North Dakota farms to see just how useful the flying machines can be.

The program is the first of many to go live on one of six FAA unmanned aerial systems test sites, selected by Congress in 2013. Two separate trials will be conducted to discover whether or not it’s worthwhile to regularly utilize drones as farmhands in the foreseeable future.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the test will be incredibly important for assessing the risk and safety of utilizing the technology regularly within the country. The tests will not only assess the feasibility of using drone technology to enhance agriculture, but also aims to show the public the benefits of drone technology.

The first test will run May 5th at North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Extension Center. The second and final test will run at Sullys Hill National Game Preserve over the summer. The flight permit is, however, valid for two years and the machines are likely to take to the skies yet again. The drones that weren’t asked to participate in this year’s agricultural tasks will take on other notable projects, including aiding in the recovery of WWII soldiers.

Drones are the newest addition to the BentProp Project, which seeks to recover casualties from WWII. When the initiative took to the water, drones were the perfect candidate for the job. Team members relied upon 3D Robotics’ octocoper drones, which both mapped out the environment and discovered hot spots that might have represented still-active bombs. The drones were a huge aid to the tactics team, giving them the best insight on where to search first.

3D Robotics’ Quadrocoper (image courtesy of 3D Robotics)

Despite the benefits drones bring to society through their advanced aerial technology, public opinion about them remains relatively unchanged. A recent survey conducted by Pew Research discovered that 63 percent of Americans believe the nation would be worse off if commercial or personal drones are granted flight clearance. Overall, the study found that 59 percent of the population believes technology will enhance their lives, but depending on the industry, people seem to be rather frightened by this advancement. It doesn’t seem our world will be robot-run anytime soon. Sorry, George Jetson.

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