DJI is developing an app that would allow people to track nearby drones right from smartphones, according to a recent report from Reuters. This move is to address privacy-related claims among people, especially alleged uses of drones for illegal spying and unauthorized drone flying.
The Chinese drone maker demonstrated its drone-to-phone transmission app at the United Nations aviation agency’s Drone Enable conference in Montreal earlier this week. “We’ve created a remote identification solution that works with what people already have,” says Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs at DJI.
DJI claims that its app would detect modern drones within a kilometer’s radius on WiFi Aware-enabled smartphones. Yes, this app won’t be limited to drones developed by DJI. The list of compatible drones, however, has not been disclosed so far.
The report notes that remote identification technology is not entirely new and it is currently available on the market. However, those are paid services and are aimed at business entities, airports, and law enforcement agencies.
It is worth noting that this new app won’t be as powerful as the aforementioned drone tracking technique used in airports and law enforcement. This app is being developed to be aware of one’s surroundings if any suspicious activity is detected.
The app is pending regulatory approval as of now and it is expected to be launched sometime in 2020. So, what are your thoughts on the idea of letting anyone track drones? Are you on the side that supports this app or do you think it will spoil the fun of drones as it could be monitored by neighbors? Tell us in the comments.
