The world's first drone superhighway is set to be finished and to open in Britain this summer, between June and July.
World's First Drone Superhighway
The drone superhighway will allow pilotless drones to execute deliveries at high speeds all over the country.
The Skyway network will span 165 miles in length. It is developed by Altitude Angel, a drone software provider. The network will be able to connect Midlands' Coventry to the Southeast's Milton Keynes.
According to Altitude Angel, when drones are able to move through long distances in a safe manner, they could be used readily for search and rescue, emergency response, medical supply and organ transportation, and more efficient and safer surveying.
Once the drone superhighway is completed, it will cover 30 Arrow Towers that would be capable of controlling drones from the ground. Altogether, such towers will become a virtual highway for the drones to move safely without requiring a human to pilot them.
The towers will serve as a human spotter that would allow drones to be flown beyond any human pilot's sight range. Each tower will provide a range of 4 kilometers, allowing the drones to be passed up the superhighway chain in order to soar at long distances.
Each ground tower will have strong sensors that make a virtual map of things in the airspace. By communicating with drones that are in the air, these towers can manage traffic to ensure that the drones avoid one another. They can also ensure that the drones would avoid other obstacles that they might meet.
At present, 15 out of 30 towers have been constructed. They currently cover an area of 80 to 90 miles.
The superhighway development comes under a £273 million investment of the government in the aerospace industry as well as a £5 million investment made by BT.
Initially, Altitude Angel suggested that the network could stretch westwards to Bentwaters and downwards to Southampton. However, it has been confirmed by the company that the extensions will not be done because of difficulties in finding new tower sites.
Nevertheless, extensions to link the Isle of Wight and Southampton are planned, as the technology widely rolls out more.
A Potential Privacy, Safety Threat
While the development of the drone superhighway could be revolutionary, skeptics are worried about how the superhighway could pose privacy and safety risks to Britons who live within its path of flight.
Chris Cole, who is the director of the Drone Wars campaign group, shares that though the drone industry may be incredibly happy about the development, it could be extremely annoying and intrusive for those who live under these drones.
Another possible issue would be the air traffic noise that the drones may cause. However, the company insists that the fixed-wing drones, which make up most of the users of the superhighway, are nearly silent. The developer also claims that, given the height of 400 feet, anyone on the ground may hardly see or hear these drones.
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