FAA takes major step in expanding drone use in America Get short URL email story to a friend print version Published: 15 February, 2013, 22:09
US President Barack Obama has approved legislation that is expected to immediately accelerate the use of domestic surveillance drones within the United States.
On Thursday, Pres. Obama signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, a bill that the Federal Aviation Administration’s AnneMarie Ternay describes as containing requirements for integrating unmanned aircraft systems and vehicles such as drones into the national airspace starting immediately.
With the president’s approval this week, the FAA has already begun soliciting proposals from cities across the country that are interested in becoming one of six soon-to-be established test sites where drones and UAVs will be sent into the sky as America takes the next step towards accepting the latest generation of aircraft.
The FAA says that locations in over 30 states have already showed interest in the program. Soon the agency will be tasked with picking a mere half-dozen locations so that drones can formally be introduced into official US airspace and not just strips of sky above designated areas.
Should the FAA stay on schedule, drones are likely to start flying regularly in the US by late 2015, and as many as 30,000 non-military UAVs are expected to be in the sky by the end of the decade. First, however, the FAA, drone builders and pilots will have to pick test sites to work out the kinks of a controversial aircraft.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
February 03, 2013 PBS shows off 1.8 gigapixel video feed and analysis from a DARPA drone Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook From an altitude of 17,500 feet a drone with a 1.8 gigapixel video camera can monitor half of Manhattan.
The interface shows the wide field of view all at once but 65 windows can be opened up showing zoom in views of different spots. They can see things as small as 6 inches like birds. They can make out people waving from the ground and what they are wearing.
The software analyzes and tracks everything that is moving.
All of the images is archived from every UAV. The persistent monitoring means that any past time can be selected for a monitored area and what happened at that time can be played as if you were watching it live.
The sensor uses four lenses and 368 cell phone cameras, 5 megapixels each.
Each chip is receiving the light from one tube. The video below does not reveal what the system looks like, but I am pretty sure it looks like the system shown in a patent from 2007.
The ARGUS-IS, or the Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project contracted to BAE Systems. Nextbigfuture covered this system in 2009.
Another DARPA project should have developed a 50 gigapixel camera out of off the shelf parts. Mass production could bring the cost of 50 gigapixel systems down to about $1000. 50 gigapixels would mean increasing resolution to make out 1 inch objects from 17500 feet or viewing a larger area at the 6 inch resolution.
Yup, beautiful pictures...seems like Quanitco hasn't changed that much since I was there last. Hey BOX...you been there? Beautiful pictures, aren't they? That damn ARGUS-IS really is sharp....wish I could take pictures like that!
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
Yup, beautiful pictures...seems like Quanitco hasn't changed that much since I was there last. Hey BOX...you been there? Beautiful pictures, aren't they? That damn ARGUS-IS really is sharp....wish I could take pictures like that!
If you watched the video you would know that Argus displays real time video, not pictures.
Yup, beautiful pictures...seems like Quanitco hasn't changed that much since I was there last. Hey BOX...you been there? Beautiful pictures, aren't they? That damn ARGUS-IS really is sharp....wish I could take pictures like that!
I was in Quanitico for about 6 months... School's Demonstration Troops.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
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