Privacy, Safety, Ethics and Autonomy

For this activity, you will develop a blog post that addresses a basic strategy to ensure successful implementation of an unmanned system within known limitations. You may choose any type of unmanned system, but your blog post must address issues covered in this module, including:
·         Privacy
·         Ethics
·         Safety
·         Lost link/loss of system control

For this activity I have chosen to write about the off the shelf DJI quad copters available for purchase virtually anywhere on the internet. The DJI product is a fantastic and incorporates a number of features to help it operate safely. Of DJI’s product line I will specifically be discussing the DJI Phantom 4, but the privacy, safety, and ethical concerns will be the same for any commercially available drone. The assignment details have inferred that there are known limitations. For the purpose of this post it is to be assumed that the Phantom 4 is being owned operated and purchased by a novice hobbyist.
Privacy- The laws regarding privacy and aerial photography are state dependent. While some states heavily regulate the use of personal drones, others have little to no laws at all outside of the FAA’s guidance. I live in the state of California, where it is illegal to fly a drone over someone else’s property and image without the property owner’s permission. However in my previous state of residence, no such law applies. It is up to the owner of the phantom 4 to understand the current laws of their state, and to comply with the FAA regulations.
Ethics- Going hand in hand with privacy, is the ethical use of drones. Even if there are no laws strictly forbidding the use of drones to image somebody else’s residence, it is unethical to spy on individuals with aerial photography. One should never purposely photograph somebody without their knowledge. This goes for traditional photography as well. It would be unethical for anybody to put a long range lens on their DSLR and take pictures of their neighbors from their second story window or rooftop.

Safety- As technology advances, these products have become safer and safer. This makes it easier for new pilots to fly their expensive new aircraft safely. With four rapidly spinning propellers, and a fast moving aircraft it would be easy to damage personal property or even cause serious harm to others.  A primary feature of the fourth iteration of the DJI phantom is built in obstacle avoidance. This means a total novice could open the box and take out his new drone, and try to fly it into a person and the Phantom 4 would stop its self before running into the individual. This also applies to other obstacles like trees, walls, vehicles. The Phantom 4 is smart enough to keep its self and other safe, making it the perfect choice for a beginner.
Lost link/ loss of system control- The Phantom 4 has fail safes built in for los of link that can be programed by the user. If a user were to lose control of the aircraft, it could be programed to safely auto-land itself, or hover in place for the duration of its battery. This would give the operator time to move closer to the aircraft to try and regain signal. Thanks to the onboard GPS, the Phantom 4 also has the ability to “Return to Home”, where it will travel back to the location where it took off from by its self without any additional input from the operator. As a first time user, as this scenario implies, these features will be critical in maintain the safety of the aircraft and the people around it.  

http://dronesbuyer.com/should-you-buy-the-phantom-4-ultimate-dji-p4-resource-price-specs-news/


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