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politics
Small UAV coalition applauds the FAA’s release of the proposed suas rule as a good first step for industry
the Small UAV Coaltion
15 Feb 2015
The Small UAV Coalition is very pleased the FAA has at long last published its proposed small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) rule. At this time the proposed rule has not been made available to the pub...
Possible Leaked FAA Document Provides Hints Regarding Proposed Rulemaking for sUAS
Diana Marina Cooper
15 Feb 2015
A new document purporting to be prepared by the FAA Office of Aviation Policy and Plans provides hints regarding the anticipated proposed small UAS (sUAS) regulations. The possible leaked document is ...
Robots for Humanity inspires
Andra Keay
12 Feb 2015
Henry Evans had a brain stem stroke in 2002 that left him quadriplegic. Since then he has turned to robotics to unlock his abilities. Robots For Humanity (R4H.org) is a project that chronicles Henry...
Should ownership influence the decision-making of a care robot?
Open Roboethics Initiative
11 Feb 2015
For the past few months, the Open Roboethics initiative have been exploring the topic of care robots. During one of our meetings, we got into a discussion about whether the ownership of a robot sho...
Americans okay with police drones, worried about private UAVs | Sputnik
CIS Blog
11 Feb 2015
A new poll shows surprising opinions about the domestic use of small drones. Who should be allowd to fly them, where, and for what purpose? According to the results, Americans may be more trusting of ...
Liability concerns for drone co’s imposing technical measures to enforce no fly zones
Diana Marina Cooper
03 Feb 2015
Shortly after a Phantom crash-landed on the grounds of the White House, its maker, DJI, announced that it would release a mandatory firmware update that would restrict flights within 15.5 miles of dow...
Robot caregivers: How much interaction with a robot is socially acceptable?
Open Roboethics Initiative
28 Jan 2015
With the continuous increase in life expectancy and the number of people aged 65+ on the rise, it is no wonder that many roboticists have been discussing the use of robot as companion/caregiver for e...
Robotics needs to get political
Alan Winfield
27 Jan 2015
A couple of weeks ago I was a panelist on a public debate at the 2014 Battle of Ideas. The title of the debate was The robots are coming: friends or foes? with a focus not on the technology but the ...
‘Quadcopter’ crashes onto White House grounds, poses security threat
Ben Fisher
26 Jan 2015
The White House was put on high alert today as a drone was flown at low altitude onto the south-east side of the complex. A secret service spokesperson said "An investigation is under way to determine...
Drone crash at White House comes as FAA develops rules | USA Today
Hallie Siegel
26 Jan 2015
The crash of a quad-copter drone on White House grounds early Monday comes as the Federal Aviation Administration is developing long-awaited rules for commercial unmanned aircraft.
Congress ordered...
Drone that crashed at White House was a quadrocopter | TIME
Hallie Siegel
26 Jan 2015
A drone that crashed on the White House grounds Monday, causing a brief lockdown, was a two-foot wide remote-controlled quadcopter that is sold in stores, officials said.
According to a Secret Servic...
Secret Service: ‘Quadcopter’ drone crashed onto White House grounds | Fox News
Hallie Siegel
26 Jan 2015
A two-foot-long "quadcopter" drone crashed onto the White House grounds overnight, the Secret Service said Monday -- though the White House says the device posed no threat.
Brian Leary, a Secret Se...
Obama connects robots to jobs in State of the Union address
Hallie Siegel
22 Jan 2015
US President Barack Obama linked robots and jobs in his sixth State of the Union address this Tuesday. The State of the Union Address is usually delivered annually by the President in a joint sessio...
Open science: Preaching what I practice
Alan Winfield
22 Jan 2015
Open science isn't one thing - it is a set of practices that range from making sure your papers are openly accessible (which is relatively easy), to open notebook science, which makes the process ope...
Robotics, AI in the spotlight at #WEF15 World Economic Forum
Hallie Siegel
21 Jan 2015
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos is on. [tweetquote]What are experts telling world leaders at WEF15 about robotics, AI and Big Data?[/tweetquote]...
$87 million in European robotic projects funded
Frank Tobe
20 Jan 2015
The EU has co-funded 17 new robotics-related projects under Horizon 2020, the mechanism that the European Commission is using to stimulate the region's global competitiveness in technical innovation...
Transport Canada’s position on indoor and tethered drone operations
Diana Marina Cooper
19 Jan 2015
In November, Transport Canada issued Staff Instruction 623-001, which provides guidance on the review and processing of Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) applications. Among the issues addr...
European Commission reveals details of proposed cuts to science | Science
Hallie Siegel
16 Jan 2015
A controversial plan to use research funds to pay for economic stimulusbecame more concrete this week, as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled proposed legislation to implement t...
Elon Musk donates $10M to keep AI beneficial | The Future of Life Institute
Hallie Siegel
15 Jan 2015
Elon Musk, creator of Tesla and SpaceX, has decided to donate $10M to the Future of Life Institute to run a global research program aimed at keeping AI beneficial to humanity.
There is now a broad ...
FAA issues waivers for real estate and agricultural UAVs
Frank Tobe
14 Jan 2015
The FAA granted two exemptions for commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems in U.S. airspace for real estate and agricultural crop scouting. But all is not as rosy as it appears....
Slow down that runaway ethical trolley
Bryant Walker Smith
13 Jan 2015
The runaway trolley has chased automated motor vehicles into the new year.
In early 2012, I raised a variation of the classic thought experiment to argue that there is not always a single absolu...
How much interaction with a robot is socially acceptable?
Open Roboethics Initiative
13 Jan 2015
We have a tall order when it comes to dreaming up a trustworthy care robot: a robot could clean the house, find and fetch objects, and even keep seniors company. But if robots take on so many daily c...
Canada’s regulations for foreign commercial UAV operators
Diana Marina Cooper
12 Jan 2015
Canada’s relatively favorable framework for commercial UAV operations is attracting interest among foreign operators who are frustrated with restrictions in their home jurisdictions. The following p...
Island Forum 2014: Advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence
LEE Chor Pharn and Aaron MANIAM
06 Jan 2015
The Singapore Ministry of Defence convened the sixth edition of the Island Forum in November 2014 to explore the emerging future of artificial intelligence and robotics, developments that could have e...
Pics everywhere: Top 2014 robot pictures
Frank Tobe
05 Jan 2015
This is the time when many suggest their list of top 2014 robotic pictures in various settings. Drones, humanoids, telepresence, home robots, vacuums, toys and robotic camel jockeys! Good recaps and ...
From literature to living rooms: Perceptions of robots in society
Diana Marina Cooper
18 Dec 2014
As drones have become increasingly accessible, media outlets have been preoccupied with news stories that fuel our fears about the prospect of privacy invasion and physical harm. Although drones have ...
CompuGirls: Young women have role to play in technology field
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
16 Dec 2014
If one of the keys to building a future technology workforce is finding new ways to engage women and minorities in computer science, giving teenage girls an understanding of what the field is, and how...
New CAA rules govern use of drones in built up areas
Ben Fisher
09 Dec 2014
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced updated rules that will give operators an annual permission to operate in built up areas....
The Drone Center’s Weekly Roundup: Weekly Roundup 12/8
At the Center for the Study of the Drone
In 2007, Addie Wagenknecht started using drones to make abstract paintings. Her works both challenge and celebrate the aerial robot and its power. In an in-...
Robo-Wars: The regulation of robotic weapons
Alexander Leveringhaus and Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
05 Dec 2014
Robotic weapons, whether autonomous or remote controlled, have generated widespread controversy in recent years.
Alex Leveringhaus, James Martin Fellow, Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed ...
Transport Canada releases new framework for governing UAV operations
Diana Marina Cooper
28 Nov 2014
Earlier this month, Transport Canada announced that commercial operators will soon be able to benefit from two exemptions from the general Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) requirement. Tod...
Japan’s new robotics push: Funding and deregulation
Frank Tobe
25 Nov 2014
In June, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wanted to treble the market for robots in Japan to $22 billion by 2020. Last month, the government launched a "robot revolution realization council...
Readers optimistic about role of robots as care assistants for seniors
Open Roboethics Initiative
25 Nov 2014
Developing robots that are capable of taking care of seniors is the goal of an increasing number of robotics companies. While there are many economic and social factors to encourage this trend, the ...
Small UAV Coalition urges FAA to focus on regulations that enable domestic UAV innovation
Michael Drobac and the Small UAV Coaltion
20 Nov 2014
[tweetquote]Recent court cases distract from timely and safe integration of small UAVs.[/tweetquote]...
National Science Foundation and federal partners award $31.5M to advance co-robots in US
the National Science Foundation (NSF)
20 Nov 2014
From disaster recovery to caring for the elderly in the home, scientists and engineers are developing robots that can handle critical tasks in close proximity to humans, safely and with greater resili...
NTSB overturns Pirker case: Drones are aircraft
Dronologista
19 Nov 2014
The Pirker case was a landmark case in UAV legislation development. In 2011, Raphael Pirker used his Ritewing Zephyr UAV to make some aerial footage over the University of Virginia campus, and for tha...
