The company won FAA’s trust by testing its technology for four years in eight states – last year it flew up to 10 autonomous flights a day to capture agricultural imagery and other data. AR drones can only fly in rural areas of Kansas, Massachusetts and Nevada and at altitudes below 120 meters at the moment. The company believes, however, that this is just the beginning and that it is ushering in “a new era of widespread automated drone operations”.
American Robotics CEO Reese Mozer said in a statement:
“With these approvals, American Robotics is ushering in a new era of widespread automated drone operations. Decades of promises and projections are finally coming true. We are proud to be the first company to meet FAA’s comprehensive safety requirements, which previously restricted the viability of using drones in the commercial sector. We are very grateful for the FAA’s willingness to work closely with American Robotics for the past four years on this unprecedented authorization. With this set of approvals, American Robotics can safely start operating our automated Scout platform for the benefit of the vertical energy, infrastructure, agriculture and security markets, helping to unlock the $ 100 billion commercial drone market. ”