DJI today strengthened its role as the drone industry’s safety leader at a Washington, D.C. event by committing to install airplane and helicopter detectors in new consumer drones. This is the first part of a 10-point plan to ensure the world’s skies remain safe in the drone era.
All new DJI drone models released after January 1, 2020, that weigh more than 250 grams (8.8 oz) will include AirSense technology. AirSense technology will allow consumer drones to receive ADS-B signals from nearby airplanes and helicopters that will warn drone pilots if they appear to be on a collision course.
DJI’s new drones will use this ADS-B detector, which it has branded as “AirSense,” to alert pilots when a plane or helicopter is nearby. Crucially, it won’t automatically cause the drone to move away from the larger aircraft that will still be up to the pilot.
The Federal Aviation Administration isn’t mandating ADS-B on drones, but DJI already has the tech installed on some of the company’s more professional offerings, like the Matrice 200 and Mavic 2 Enterprise.
There are already plenty of safety-minded features built into DJI’s drones, like obstacle avoidance, geofencing, altitude limits, and the ability to automatically return to the takeoff spot. But these haven’t been enough to stop inexperienced or simply reckless drone pilots from flying too close to and in some cases, even making contact with planes and helicopters. The drones will only be able to receive ADS-B signals, though, so they won’t be able to transmit their location to air traffic controllers.
