LAS VEGAS — Drone vendors got special exhibition space just for them at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, a testament to the public's growing interest in the new product category and its awareness about pending regulations to both allow and control in the use of unmanned aircraft in U.S. skies.

No longer confined to the military space, unmanned aerial vehicles are proliferating in all shapes, sizes and numbers. Those showcased at CES range from commercial drones – big and sturdy enough for Amazon package delivery – to toy mini-drones priced at less than $150.

One drone that got lots of attention was presented by AirDog. The company started its drone project with a Kickstarter campaign last summer. It has now developed a wrist-worn “leash” that makes the drone follow its “master.”

AirDog isn’t the only drone company taking its cue from the growing selfie boom. Other suppliers such as Hexo+, Zano, Trace, and Ghost also pitched “follow-me” features.

Increasingly clear to those in the electronics industry is that drones are no longer just a gadget fad. As Henri Seydoux, the founder and CEO of Parrot, once told EE Times, “they are toys that are as serious and as well-designed as cars."

Critical to enabling the drones to be reliable and accessible are advancements in sensors. Seydoux told us, “Without MEMS, drones wouldn’t have been where they are today.” Indeed, today’s drones are loaded with MEMs. They include an image sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, magnetometer, and GPS.

Chip companies join the fray
At this year’s CES, big guns in the chip industry -- such as Intel and Qualcomm -- revealed that they, too, want a piece of the drone action, which seems poised to boom. 

By using its own RealSense technology, Intel demonstrated drones that can build 3D maps of their surroundings and automatically adjust — like bats — to avoid objects.

Qualcomm showed off a drone that can see in 3D, drive and fly. Based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, Snapdragon Cargo features an integrated flight controller capable of wireless communications, sensor integration and spatial positioning. 

Dark clouds looming?
Hanging over the drone industry’s heads, however, are pending drone regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). An act passed by Congress in 2012 requires the FAA to complete rules for non-military drones in U.S. airspace by 2015. But the FAA, struggling with technological, regulatory, and managerial barriers, is taking a “measured” approach. Drones are harder to regulate than conventional aircraft because they vary in size and functions.

Complicating the matter further, drone innovations are mounting much faster than the regulatory process. 

Critics say that strict regulations could put the nascent drone industry in danger of grinding to a halt. However, if the panel discussion on drones at CES is any indications both drone entrepreneurs and government officials appear to agree that what they want is not “no regulations.” Rather, they want a framework with “simplicity and clarity,” as described by Tony Carmean, a founding partner and the chief marketing officer for Aerial MOB.

Carmean, responsible for developing unmanned aerial cinematography for the Aerial MOB business model, played a key role in the company's successful bid to become one of the first to receive an FAA exemption to use unmanned aircraft for closed-set film productions.

Following are key questions on current and future drone regulations raised by the panel and the audience, with some answers by the panelists.

1. Why do we even need regulations for drones?

One key reason driving the regulations is the possibility of drones colliding with low-flying planes or tall humans.

The threat of drones to airline pilots is real. According to a New York Times’ report, the FAA receives reports nearly every day about drones sighted near manned aircraft or airports. The article quoted Ben Berman at a recent forum hosted by the Air Line Pilots Association saying:

As a (Boeing) 737 captain, I'll be damned if myself and 178 other people are taken down by a 12-pound or a 50-pound or a 150-pound piece of metal coming through my windshield...There are too many near misses occurring every day like this.

Jim Williams, the manager of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Office, explained during the CES panel that the FAA isn’t against drones but is concerned with safety. The agency is encouraging the new tech sector during its rulemaking by granting exceptions for interested companies that pledge to meet safety guidelines.

The FAA already has exemptions to companies including film producers, such as Aerial MOB. Williams said, “We are now up to 15 permissions granted,” Williams said.  “We are also in the process of streamlining in and accelerating that effort, because we now have over 200 applications for those permissions."

To critics who complain that the FAA is too slow to grant exemptions, Williams acknowledged that the cumbersome process derives from the way laws are written. 

Under current regulations, Williams explained that drones can’t fly higher than 400 feet in a controlled area. To make matters more complex, [drone] operators must be licensed pilots, the devices have to be inspected and fly within line of sight of the operator. Flights in a different area must be approved anew by the FAA.

The FAA’s exemption process is, in essence, set up for exception to existing rules, making each exemption its own miniature rule, explained Williams. 

2. What about consumer drones?

In FAA lingo, consumer or toy drones are described as “model aircraft.” It’s important to note that hobby or recreational flying doesn't require FAA approval.

FAA’s Williams said during the panel discussion that the most important point for consumers is “to know safety guidelines before they fly consumer drones,” because common sense still applies: 

• Don't fly near manned aircraft
• Don't fly beyond sight of the operator
• Don't fly an aircraft weighing more than 55 pounds unless it's certified by an aeromodeling community-based organization
• Don't fly contrary to aeromodeling community-based safety guidelines
• Don't fly model aircraft for payment or commercial purposes

FAA’s Williams said, “Enforcement is not our emphasis. We need more consumer education.”

Several bills have been introduced in Congress to regulate the use of drones. The FAA is yet to sort out ambiguities in current regulations. But meanwhile, companies such as 3D Robotics, DJI and Parrot all want to make sure that regulation of recreational drones proves unnecessary.

Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot, said, “A consumer drone is not dangerous by itself.” Provoking the audience, he said that consumer “drones are as dangerous as birds.”

FAA’s Williams responded he hasn’t seen any scientific studies comparing the danger presented by drones to small birds or big birds.

Seydoux, quickly, explained that his company knows how to navigate regulations and follow rules. “We’ve worked with a number of other industries – such as the toy industry – that are heavily regulated. 

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?piddl_msgid=334473&doc_id=1325334