Abstract
This threshold is found by combining probabilities for crashing a drone, for impacting a person, and for the impacted person to sustain a fatal injury. Drone technology is still in its infancy and statistical basis for these probabilities is therefore scarce. As a consequence the probabilistic approach in this work is based a numerous assumptions, such as the reliability of drones, the average mass to speed ratio, and the severity of drone inflicted injuries.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 77-92 |
| ISSN | 1756-8293 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
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Keywords
- Drone
- unmanned aircraft
- threshold
- UAS category
- harmless
Cite this
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Mass threshold for ’harmless’ drones. / la Cour-Harbo, Anders.
In: International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2017, p. 77-92.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mass threshold for ’harmless’ drones
AU - la Cour-Harbo, Anders
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Today it is possible to buy small and cheap drones in toy stores, super markets, and on numerous online shops. Often, these drones are very light-weight and even though they are flown in back yards, sport fields, parking lots, and such places, they typically pose no lethal threat to people in the vicinity of the drone. Nonetheless, in many countries such drones are regulated by aviation rules that does not distinguish between these drones and the larger hobby or professional drones. Consequently such small drones are flow illegally. This has prompted the Danish Transportation Authority to suggest a category labeled ’Harmless’, which should be based on a mass threshold. To aid such a classification this work proposes a mass threshold of 250 grams, below which, we argue, it is reasonable to classify drones as ’harmless’ in the sense that the expected fatality rate is equivalent to that of manned aviation. This threshold is found by combining probabilities for crashing a drone, for impacting a person, and for the impacted person to sustain a fatal injury. Drone technology is still in its infancy and statistical basis for these probabilities is therefore scarce. As a consequence the probabilistic approach in this work is based a numerous assumptions, such as the reliability of drones, the average mass to speed ratio, and the severity of drone inflicted injuries.
AB - Today it is possible to buy small and cheap drones in toy stores, super markets, and on numerous online shops. Often, these drones are very light-weight and even though they are flown in back yards, sport fields, parking lots, and such places, they typically pose no lethal threat to people in the vicinity of the drone. Nonetheless, in many countries such drones are regulated by aviation rules that does not distinguish between these drones and the larger hobby or professional drones. Consequently such small drones are flow illegally. This has prompted the Danish Transportation Authority to suggest a category labeled ’Harmless’, which should be based on a mass threshold. To aid such a classification this work proposes a mass threshold of 250 grams, below which, we argue, it is reasonable to classify drones as ’harmless’ in the sense that the expected fatality rate is equivalent to that of manned aviation. This threshold is found by combining probabilities for crashing a drone, for impacting a person, and for the impacted person to sustain a fatal injury. Drone technology is still in its infancy and statistical basis for these probabilities is therefore scarce. As a consequence the probabilistic approach in this work is based a numerous assumptions, such as the reliability of drones, the average mass to speed ratio, and the severity of drone inflicted injuries.
KW - Drone
KW - unmanned aircraft
KW - threshold
KW - UAS category
KW - harmless
U2 - 10.1177/1756829317691991
DO - 10.1177/1756829317691991
M3 - Journal article
VL - 9
SP - 77
EP - 92
JO - International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles
JF - International Journal of Micro Air Vehicles
SN - 1756-8293
IS - 2
ER -