A committee of the UK’s House of Lords says drone owners should be required to sign up to a register. It’s one of a series of proposals outlined in an investigation into the safe use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
In its ‘Civilian Use of Drones in the EU’ [PDF] report, the House of Lords EU Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment sub-committee says drones could account for as many as 150,000 jobs in Europe by 2050.
The proposals for a register of drones would initially only cover commercial users, but would later be expanded to include individual consumers. The database would be designed to allow the authorities to trace individual flights and would be open to the public through a smartphone app.
The report also discusses the idea of adding an identity chip with the owner’s details to every drone sold, which was suggested by several of the expert witnesses it consulted, but stops short of making a firm recommendation.
The committee suggests that geofencing be used to prevent drones from being able to take off or fly over sensitive locations including prisons, airports and military bases. Last month, we wrote about NoFlyZone , an initiative to allow people to stop flights over their homes.
The House of Lords proposals argue that police should receive clearer guidance on current safety regulations and that a kitemark should be established to indicate drones that have been passed as safe to use.
The ideas put forward by the committee are not likely to directly translate into law, but with big tech players including Amazon and Facebook investing heavily in drone technology, we can definitely expect to see more legislation after this year’s general election.
➤ Drone industry could create 150,000 jobs in EU, say Lords [UK Parliament]
Image credit: Shutterstock
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Apple reportedly prepping new premium iPhone with curved glass and no bezel
Apple might be months away from unveiling its next-generation iPhone but the rumor mill is already in full swing.
The company is gearing up to introduce its refreshed line of iPhones, including an all-new premium handset with a curved glass body and almost bezel-less screen, Bloomberg reports . Besides the revamped display, the new models are expected to come with boosted cameras as well as an all-glass design with a steel frame.
While the report barely offers any new insight as to what we could expect from the upcoming iPhone, it does add further credibility to a heap of previous rumors.
Building on earlier speculation, the publication hints the phone will come in three different sizes , all of which will sport a steel frame reminiscent of the iPhone 4. While the preemo model will feature an improved OLED panel, the remaining two devices are slated to pack a standard LCD display – like the iPhone 7.
The revamped OLED panels will likely be manufactured by rival Samsung .
Interestingly, Apple might also scrap the iconic home button in favor of on-screen keys à la Samsung Galaxy S8 . Given that facial recognition might be coming to the new device , it remains unclear whether the company will move the fingerprint scanner to the back or ditch it altogether.
One possibility is that Apple will include the fingerprint reader straight into the screen of the OLED version, but insiders claim this will be “technically challenging.” Samsung reportedly ran into similar issues while experimenting with on-screen fingerprint scanners.
Another intriguing prospect is that the new iPhone might pack dual-camera setups on both the back and the front. Apple is also said to be experimenting with various configurations and designs, including a vertical camera system on the back.
The new and improved cameras are rumored to use revolutionary cam tech that leverages depth sensors to create 3D selfies and other augmented reality gimmicks .
Apple is expected to reveal its new iPhone lineup later in September, but shipping might be delayed a few weeks . And in case you’re eyeing the upcoming premium model: Better prepare your money from now, it could set you back more than $1,000 .
What would you most like to see in the next-gen iPhone? Let us know down in the comments.
SoftBank’s emotionally aware robot goes on sale in Japan – and it’s set to go worldwide
SoftBank’s emotion-sensing robot Pepper will be available to buy in Japan from June 20 for around $9,040 (¥ 1,093,400).
That price includes the robot’s retail cost of JPY 198,000 (about US$1,600) as well as a three year warranty and support plan. The company will build only 1,000 units of its humanoid robot in its first run.
First demoed in stores last June , Pepper can respond to emotions like joy, sadness and anger, and can entertain people by playing songs and dancing.
https://youtu.be/3a4sZnLRvqk
About 200 apps will be available for use with Pepper at launch, including a selection that can be unlocked by spending time with the robot.
SoftBank is also working on other applications for Pepper. It plans to launch an enterprise model under its ‘Pepper for Biz’ program and will announce more details in July at its SoftBank World 2015 event.
20 units have already been commissioned by Nestlé to sell coffee in its Japanese stores. The Swiss company wants to deploy Pepper in 1,000 outlets by the end of the year.
In addition to Pepper’s launch, SoftBank also announced a $589 million joint venture between its robotics arm, Foxconn and Alibaba to build thousands of Pepper units per year for sale across the globe.
➤ SoftBank to Launch Sales of ‘Pepper’ — the World’s First Personal Robot That Reads Emotions — on June 20 [SoftBank]
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