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Virginia Tech’s FAA Approved Methods Open Doors for Drone Companies

Organization: Virginia Tech
Country: USA
Website: vt.edu
Year Founded: 1872
Number of Employees: 13,000

With Virginia Tech’s testing, more drones can be designed to meet the FAA’s standards.

Description:

Virginia Tech’s newly FAA-approved testing methods open the doors for many companies to get their drones in the sky. The university’s testing methods take into consideration drones that are designed with intentional structural weaknesses.

The FAA’s criteria for drone flight over people is based on the amount of kinetic energy it transfers upon impact. It doesn’t take into account drones designed to crack or break upon impact, which lessens the amount of energy transferred.

Analysis:
Safety regulations are one of the biggest hurdles the drone industry is facing. In December 2020, the FAA updated its rules for drone flight, allowing drones that met certain conditions to fly over people. Under the new ruling, a drone’s speed and weight, as well as if it has exposed propellers, are the main deciding factors in whether the drone can fly over people.

Virginia Tech’s methods take into consideration how drones actually act in the real world by adjusting for drones that are designed to break on impact. With Virginia Tech’s testing, more drones can be designed to meet the FAA’s standards. This makes them able to fly in more places and brings us a step closer to wider drone adoption in the U.S. – Brianna Wessling

With Virginia Tech’s testing, more drones can be designed to meet the FAA’s standards.

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