So the news is finally here for all Drone operators in India. While the regulations (CAR – Civil Aviation Regulations) for flying drones were announced early in August 2018, government has now announced Digital Sky Platform, which brings in the concept of ‘No Permission, No Take-off (NPNT)’. Using the Software, deviations from regulations will be brought under control. The regulations which have come from the beginning of December have laws regarding where you can fly etc.

Where drones can fly?

In total, there are 3 zones for flying. Flying in the ‘green zones’ will require only intimation of the time and location of the flights via the portal or the app. Permissions will be required for flying in ‘yellow zones’ and flights will not be allowed in the ‘red zones’. The location of these zones will be announced soon. Permission, if granted, will be available digitally on the portal.

Which drones can fly?

Nano drones in India can start flying legally (under 250 grams). For micro and above categories, operators and pilots are required to register on the Digital Sky Portal.

How to register?

The platform has begun accepting registrations of users. Payments for Unmanned Aerial Operator’s Permit (UAOP) and Unique Identification Numbers (UIN) will be accepted through the Bharat Kosh (bharatkosh.gov.in) portal.

Can you carry Drones in hand baggage?

Drones are restricted items and can’t be carried in hand baggage.

What’s UIN and UAOP and how much does it cost?

UIN is unique identification number issued by DGCA for a particular RPA (except Nano). For UIN: – One thousand Indian Rupees (Rs.1000/-). UAOP is Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit. For fresh UAOP:- Twenty Five Thousand Rupees (Rs.25,000/-) For Renewal of UAOP:- Ten Thousand Rupees (Rs.10,000/-)

For more details, please visit the FAQ section on Digital Sky website by government.

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Flying drones in India is finally going to be legal starting December 1, 2018. Until now, flying drones in the country, until and unless specifically sanctioned by the government, was illegal.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s new Drone Regulations 1.0 layout the framework for how unmanned aircraft will be allowed to operate within the country. The drone policy has been made keeping in mind several parameters such as the height at which a drone can travel, the area in which it can be used, registration of the drone and more.

Owners and pilots of the drone need to be registered with the ministry and permission for flying a drone needs to be applied via an app. Digital permits will be given as soon as the automated process is completed.

As per the ministry, during daytime, a drone can be flown up to a height of 400 meters. There will be special ‘No Drone Areas’ such as airports, near international borders and especially in some areas of vital military installations and such. The ministry said that the strict rules are necessary to prevent the use of drones for more nefarious purposes.

The regulations list various categories of drones and all of these except the “nano” type weighing less than 250 gm and those owned by the government and intelligence agencies are to be registered and issued with a Unique Identification Number (UIN). The FAQs released by the Ministry specify that delivery of items using drones is “not allowed as of now.

The ministry believes that drones are a technology platform that has wide-ranging applications and benefits.”Drones range in size from very small and those that can carry multiple kilograms of payload. It was necessary to develop global standard drone regulations that would permit, with appropriate safeguards, the commercial application of various drone technologies.” said a senior ministry official in a statement.

The ministry has stressed on an all-digital process for registering and operating drones. It is called as the Digital Sky Platform and is reportedly “first-of-its-kind national unmanned traffic management (UTM) platform that implements ‘no permission, no takeoff’ (NPNT).” This UTM will be in close contact with the defense and civilian air traffic controllers (ATCs) so that the drones remain on the correct course.

The rules announced are the first in a series of several rules and regulations and such are titled Regulations 1.0. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha has said that a Drone Task Force, chaired by him, is working on policy regulations for the future which will allow for flying automated drones that operate beyond the line of sight.

Drones have always been considered a great marketing tool for the tourism industry, which is usually one of the quickest to adopt new technologies. With this new draft policy, the ability of travel and tourism companies to produce innovative and affordable aerial videos and photographs will become much more enhanced and hassle-free. Thanks to drones, hospitality and travel marketers will now be able to legally provide their target audience with innovative video content, showing a unique view of a resort, a tourist attraction or a destination.

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CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show, completely overtook Las Vegas, Nevada, last week, showing the world new and inspiring gadgets and technologies that will enhance and shape our lives in the near future.

The event also heralded the arrival of the travel revolution. As travellers get more tech-savvy on the road, the fight for consumer engagement among companies has increased. Multiple announcements showcased latest technologies, significantly impacting the world of travel.

Here are the top emerging consumer tech trends from this year’s CES that will likely impact the travel industry-

#1. Hyperloop – The Hyperloop technology hurtled closer to reality at CES 2018 with Virgin Hyperloop One demonstrating the first-ever hyperloop trip planning app for passengers and showcasing its first-generation hyperloop pod. Built in partnership with mapping and navigation company Here Technologies, the app will allow people to schedule hyperloop trips from city to city and door to door. While Hyperloop trains aren’t running yet, the company plans to release the app in 2018, so the transport system might arrive here soon than expected.

Image source: CNET

#2. Faster 5G mobile bandwidth – Travel apps and companies are all set to provide more personalized services to travellers as the 5G technology rolls out over the next few years. Travellers at large will no longer be constrained by data they can send or receive, making it easier for them to leverage the benefits of technology powered by Augmented Reality and other services. Travel companies could use AR to track movements, give directions and suggest things to do in the area, making travel easier.

#3. Enhanced on-the-go charging – Wireless charging pads were all over CES 2018, thanks to the launch of the new iPhones. Tons of companies released new products in a wide variety of form, factors and styles, specifically Qi wireless chargers, the popular industry standard that’s used by major smartphone companies. Better charging solutions are crucial for travellers, especially when trying to stay connected during delays. Travellers now have a wider selection of styles to choose from. Moreover, competition in the market might mean a race to develop even faster charging.

Image source: The Verge

#4. Voice-assisted smart gadgets – Some of the most popular gadgets over the entire event were smart speakers with digital assistants. Apple is coming out with its own speaker this year; Microsoft and Samsung have partnered on another. Many online travel agencies will start exploring voice search capability for travel booking. As more devices gain voice-control capability, brands will be able to sell travel products through these channels.

#5. The rise of drones – Drones continue to remain popular with travellers, especially travel photographers and the CES 2018 saw a host of flying machines. While some were brand new, some were upgraded from their previous versions.

Image source: Videomaker.com

From the AirSelfie that is controlled by a phone app to go up into the air and take selfies, to the new Typhoon H Plus for those interested in serious drone photography and videography; drone fans will have much to cheer about this year.

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The future of transportation is certainly here. They’ve given a go ahead to start the trials of flying robot taxis.

These guys were showcased first at CES 2016. Ehang 184 is a small chopper that can transport a single passenger. It looks like a blown up version of the toy drones we see around as it has its rotors positioned underneath the body; a total of four in number.

Las Vegas hopes to incorporate these small fellas into state transport system after they start with the trials later this year.

Image: Ben Smith/ CC BY 2.0

This autonomous electrically powered vehicle can fly at greater heights of 63 miles per hour for 10 minutes. It works well at a decent charge of about one two hours for 23 minutes above sea level carrying roughly 100 kg of small luggage.

The passengers are required to enter their final destination into an app on their phones and the drone is then able to avoid obstacles by navigating well. Ehang has a pre-defined route and hops from one drop off to another and so it’s clearly unable to fly straight. It has a very ergonomic design where the propellers would just fold themselves in fitting in a parking space apt for a car.

The only thing available for us to gauge is its prototype for now. The team has made associations with Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, to test the system and develop it further.

“I personally look forward to the day when drone taxis are part of Nevada’s transportation system,” said a spokesman for the Nevada governor’s economic development office.

Ehang has raised about $52 million from the time of its advent in 2014. It’s also on lines of developing a drone through virtual reality headset, the Ghostdrone 2.0.

The drone in question has a fail safe system that prompts it to land in the nearest place in case of any malfunctions or a disconnect. The design is secure and safe as it communicates via encrypted channels providing full privacy in the data flow.

Source: Telegraph

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Even if you are not a fan of extending your arm and shooting a self-portrait, you must be well aware of the term ‘selfie’. While sources claim that selfies have been around for ages, the improvements in camera technology and sharing platforms in recent years have made them popular among masses. Everyone from Darth Vader to David Cameron is shooting one. Smartphone manufacturers putting high res front cameras on their devices, hotels providing selfie sticks to guests (yes JW Marriott, Kimpton and some other hotels are doing that) are some indicators that this ‘thing’ isn’t going away anytime soon, or is it?

Selfies emerged as a popular trend among travel photographers

Meet ‘dronies’ or ‘drone selfies’, the more adventurous younger sibling of the selfie. A dronie is a self-portrait shot using a camera mounted on a flying drone. So instead of an image flooded with faces, you can shoot your beautiful surroundings while including all your friends in the frame. Thanks to the easy availability, tech savvy travellers are already using drones not only to shoot photos but also for beautiful short clips.

While many hotels and resorts are motivating people to shoot selfies at their property and post on their social media accounts, some of them have been offering custom drones to their guests and bragging their luxury properties. This new trend is catching up really well and we are guessing that 2015 will shape up as the year of drone selfies.

Follow #dronestagram, #droneselfie, #dronie or other similar hashtags on Instagram and you will be awestruck with the amazing photos and videos you will find. There are thousands of posts giving you enough motivation to buy a drone to carry on your next trip. Tourism New Zealand came up with the #NZDronie campaign allowing the travellers to shoot small clips using drone mounted cameras. The video would start close to the subject with the drone then flying away to include the splendid landscape. We are surely going to see more travel brands and destinations come up with campaigns revolving around drone photography.

At this point, drones suitable for the job come with a hefty price tag. DJI Phantom 2 Vision is a popular choice for aerial photography but the cost is just too steep for any casual photographer to even consider it. On top of that, drones are a bit fragile making it a risky investment. But just like any other technology, this will change with time. There are various ongoing drone projects that should see the light of day very soon. PlexiDrone is a project that we found listed on indiegogo.com.

It can carry different kind of cameras (including interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras). It can be controlled easily using your smartphone and also offers ‘Follow Me’ feature using GPS.

Another interesting campaign that we found was the ELF VRDrone. It is a small photo robot that is easy to carry and can be controlled using smartphones like the PlexiDrone. It also adds the feature of first person 3D view making use of Google Cardboard.

Zano is a palm sized lightweight drone for aerial photography which looks promising. It was showcased at the CES and the project has already raised a huge sum on Kickstarter.

Nixie, the winner of Intel’s Make it wearable is one of a kind camera drone that can be worn on your wrist. You can throw the Nixie in any direction, it will click a picture and come right back to you.

So there it is. You will soon have a crop of selfie drones buzzing around mountains and beaches. A whole new genre of Vine videos and Instagram posts are coming your way. Smile for the drone!

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