The Federal Aviation Administration has released long-awaited proposed rules to regulate commercial drone use. The rules would allow anyone over 17 to take a test to get permission to fly a commercial drone without needing a pilot's license, a key concern of the drone industry.
Commercial drones would have to fly below 500 feet, only during daylight, and always be visible to their operators.
Those restrictions have the industry searching for ways to convince federal regulators that drones can be operated safely with more autonomy, even as some sectors are celebrating what they hope will be new legal applications of drones.
"You could make sure your crops are healthy, if you're a farmer," says Ryan Calo of the University of Washington, who specializes in robotics law, "cover a breaking news event ... you could film a movie."
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