DJI is about to make it harder to fly its drones too close to larger aircraft. The Chinese tech company announced Wednesday that all DJI drones weighing more than 250 grams — which includes everyone it currently offers — released in 2020 onward will have built-in aeroplane and helicopter detectors.
Each of those new drones will now include sensors that can receive the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) signal that planes and helicopters send out.
It’s a technology that’s being mandated by the US government for traditional aircraft that fly through a number of controlled airspaces starting January 1st, 2020, and is even used by air traffic controllers for real-time precision and situational awareness.
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.
