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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Realtors applaud, Amazon decries proposed drone rules

FAA's proposed rules on commercial drone operation gives flexibility to photographers and hobbyists but does not address aerial delivery services.

The FAA's proposed drone guidelines include limiting flights to 500 feet in altitude and line-of-site operation during daylight hours only. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its long-awaited proposal on rules governing commercial drones this week, drawing concern from big companies interested in using aerial vehicles for delivery services and sighs of relief from photographers, hobbyists and other interested parties.

Highlights of the 33 rules include a capped altitude of 500 feet (about 100 feet more than what was expected), line-of-sight at all times on unmanned aircraft, daylight-only operation, maximum airspeed of 100 mph, and a top weight limit of 55 pounds. Operators will also be required to obtain an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) permit and pass a knowledge test every two years. The FAA estimates the total cost to acquire certification to cost no more than $300.

"We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a statement. "We want to maintain today's outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry."

The proposed rules are being well received so far by commercial drone proponents, with CEO Brian Wynne of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) calling them a "good first step."

"This proposed rule is a critical milestone in the UAS integration process, and one that is long overdue," he said. "UAS technology has largely remained grounded while many prospective users wait for the regulatory framework to catch up."

Another industry happy with the FAA's guidelines is the National Association of Realtors, whose members are eager to use drones to market properties throughout the U.S.

"The proposed rules announced today for the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles are good news for property owners and realtors who desire to embrace cutting-edge technology to enhance the process of buying and selling real estate with images gathered by unmanned aerial vehicles," President Chris Polychron said in a statement.

Even social media reacted with surprise to the FAA's rules:

While most viewed the terms as "reasonable," companies like Amazon are upset that the FAA is limiting flights to line-of-sight only. The massive retailer has big plans to leverage drones to deliver packages in the future as part of its Prime Air project.

"The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers," Paul Misener, Amazon vice-president of gobal public policy, said in a statement to the Guardian. "We are committed to realising our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need."

The FAA will now allow a 60-day public comment period, giving disgruntled giants like Amazon and Google a chance to make their case for drone flights beyond an operator's line-of-sight. If all goes according to plan, commercial operators should be able to hit the skies officially in two to three years. An earlier report by the AUVSI estimated the commercial drone industry is worth more than $13.6 billion and accounts for more than 70,000 jobs.

Robots will run Japanese hotel (or why you should be worried about your job)

Opening this summer in Nagasaki, a new hotel will be staffed by multilingual 'actroid' robots who will check in guests, carry bags and even clean rooms.

The check in desk at the Henn-na Hotel is staffed entirely by human-looking robots. (Photo: Huis Ten Bosch)

When guests roll up to the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan, set to open its doors this summer, they will step out and hand their bags over to a bellhop. They'll walk in and check in at the front desk and wander in to find their room. The next morning, their room will be cleaned by hotel staff.

All in all, a normal scene that plays out a billion times all over the world every day. Except in the case of the Henn-na Hotel, guests could very well spend their entire time there without seeing a human being. Most of the functions of the hotel will be performed by advanced robots. Instead of dealing with a living person to check in, guests will interact with this "actroid," capable of conversing in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English.

An android that will greet visitors to the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan when it opens this summer.

While there will be human staff on hand to smooth over any quirks in the system (and there are sure to be a lot of quirks to work out initially), the president of the company behind the new hotel said his goal is for 90 percent of operations to run by robots.

This is a fun and quirky story, but it also is a very real pointer to what the future holds for human employment. Make no mistake about it — robots are going to take our jobs.

The growth and development curve of technology hangs out somewhere between linear and exponential growth. More advanced technology enables even more advanced technology which enables even more advanced technology. Knowledge begets knowledge. Things are speeding up at a faster rate.

Think about how quickly our idea of what is normal is changing. Twenty years ago the Internet was a novelty; today it is an fundamental driver and enabler of our modern lives and global society. We all walk around with phones in our pockets that have computing capabilities that would have bested million-dollar super computers from the 1960s.

And those phones get better, a lot better, every single year. We get more pixels, more hard drive space, more RAM. We can do more, do it quicker, and do it flashier.

But with every jump in phone specs comes a hidden behind-the-scenes jump in robot specs. Robots are riding the technological advancement curve and the worlds of business and industry are squeezing them for everything they're worth.

It's simple economics — robots are cheaper than humans. They don't have to be faster or better, they just need to be cheaper. Real world robots, and their virtual cousins the software bots, can work all day and night for just a trickle of electricity. They don't get hurt, or need vacation, or clamor to unionize. They are the perfect, obedient worker.

And as the video below lays out, there are not many jobs in the world that are safe from robotic encroachment. Behind the obvious candidates for displacement by robots (like factory workers) are the millions of people involved in the transportation sector, in retail and office work, and even in the law and medical fields. Even my job as a writer is not safe — there is already a service that provides algorithmically-written content for professional news organizations like the Associated Press.

Spend some time and watch this:

This is something that we need to start talking about as a society now. I'm as excited about the idea of the Google self-driving car as the next tech nerd, but the political wonk in me knows we need to plan for how to help the millions of taxi, shuttle and limo drivers who will be out of a job when self-driving cars hit the road in earnest. And the secretaries. And bookkeepers. And lawyers. And doctors. And bloggers. And hotel check-in staff.

How about your job? How safe are you from the robots and bots?