Watch out for other drones in the air

[motopokep]

With the number of drones increasing, we have to start watching out for other drones, especially on beyond visual line of sight flights. Sooner or later there will be drone collisions. With no sensors behind, to the side, or on top of the Mavic, and with many other drones being sensor-less, these accidents are waiting to happen. Call it paranoia, and it may be a tiny risk now, but in a few years it will become an issue, and even more so 5-10 years down the line. There are currently 2 phantoms in the immediate neighborhood that I know of, and now my Mavic which is regularly going on long voyages.

Even flying forward at 40 mph and having the camera pointed directly ahead, if the other oncoming drone is flying at the same speed, that's an 80mph collision, there is no way either one of you will have time to react, even more so since there is a delay in fpv transmission. There are other situations when the two drone pilots will not even see each other, such as if you're climbing or descending, or side or backward flying. I think sensors should be installed all around the drones, and not be deactivated in sport mode. Right now we worry about birds and low-flying aircraft, but pretty soon we'll have to figure a way not to collide with other drones.

 

[MiniPalourde]

Watch out for other Air's in the air. They're particularly small and easy to miss, especially during day.

 

[laurens23]

... I think sensors should be installed all around the drones, and not be deactivated in sport mode...

I think visual sensors are not the way forward in the short term. a drone transponder would be a much more efficient way to solve many issues.

visual sensors make more errors (sun/glare/range/light/dark/closing velocity)
visual sensors require more processing
visual sensors require more hardware and be heavy (multiple camera's)
visual sensors only give awareness to one party and cannot provide an automated avoidance solution.
visual sensor systems will be expensive.

in the air, visual sensors are great for interpreting the static environment around you. Not for (fast) moving targets.

a transponder works regardless of (weather conditions)
a transponder does not require heavy processing
a transponder only needs to consist of 1 lightweight hardware module
a transponder can share information with other transponders (drones) around it
a transponder can be cheaper compared to the same protection level from visual sensors

With a transponder you can create a TCAS for drones. It can automatically generate a collision avoidance vector for both sides.
In the future it can even be included in full size planes. This way you could have an automated NFZ around every full size plane/drone and allowing you to open up the airspace without giving up safety.

 

[icebox1818]

With the number of drones increasing, we have to start watching out for other drones, especially on beyond visual line of sight flights. Sooner or later there will be drone collisions. With no sensors behind, to the side, or on top of the Mavic, and with many other drones being sensor-less, these accidents are waiting to happen. Call it paranoia, and it may be a tiny risk now, but in a few years it will become an issue, and even more so 5-10 years down the line. There are currently 2 phantoms in the immediate neighborhood that I know of, and now my Mavic which is regularly going on long voyages.

Even flying forward at 40 mph and having the camera pointed directly ahead, if the other oncoming drone is flying at the same speed, that's an 80mph collision, there is no way either one of you will have time to react, even more so since there is a delay in fpv transmission. There are other situations when the two drone pilots will not even see each other, such as if you're climbing or descending, or side or backward flying. I think sensors should be installed all around the drones, and not be deactivated in sport mode. Right now we worry about birds and low-flying aircraft, but pretty soon we'll have to figure a way not to collide with other drones.

I agree! I often fly in an area where there are other drones flying and its really awkward. I sometimes do not enjoy it because I am scared to hit something. Its a mix of rc aircraft (gasoline) and DJI drones. There are also stunt drones that are very irritating. I am trying to find a new place to fly it where I won’t worry much. Instead of enjoying, I would end up landing my drone because there are just too many drones around and just watch then go home. Talking about wasted time, gas and experience.

 

[dewster]

I like the transponder idea. It would be great if the drones communicated with each other and prevented the craft from crashing.

 

[motopokep]

I also like the transponder idea, though I'm not sure we have that technology yet.

 

[Kilrah]

It will likely be standard a couple of years from now, the issue isn't technology but processes and including that in ATC systems and many are working on it.

 

[Mossiback]

Transponders work well for collision avoidance on ships and planes because they generally travel greater distances in straight lines. But since I fly my Mavic close to me I am constantly changing speed, altitude, and direction of travel. This constantly changes the collision course, reducing a transponders value as an anti-collision tool. It would help on a longer flight at a constant heading, but that would get out of VLOS fairly quickly. Perhaps the technology will improve to the point where the transponder will take control to avoid a collision without also flying into a tree.

Transponders would be useful to alert if another craft were in the area and with drone recovery if one went down.

 

[Obi~wan]

I can't imagine what these drones will be doing In 10-15 years. Hopefully they will have most of the traffic avoidance problems resolved.

 

[Huge Bama Fan]

I had a near miss over a dam. I happened to spot the phantom as I was flying up to it. I returned home and shot other things until I didn't see it for a while. He must have been flying from the outlook up the hill I guess.