The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to soon green light the use of small unmanned aircraft by emergency services.
Some sheriffs’ departments in the Northwest are showing interest in these aircraft.
A booth rented by Prioria Robotics drew a crowd this week at the 2012 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference in Tacoma.
“We want all the fire departments and the sheriff’s departments to know that this is out here and available,” says Prioria sales and marketing executive David Wright. “Because a lot of them don’t know. This is new. This is outside the box.”
Wright says his small battery-powered Maveric airplane can transmit high-definition video or infrared images to a ground controller. He says the unmanned aircraft are much, much cheaper to acquire and operate than traditional aircraft.
The Clackamas County, Oregon Sheriff’s Office could be among the first adopters in the region. A sheriff’s spokesman sees potential use in search-and-rescue. But he adds his agency has no interest in using unmanned aircraft for routine aerial surveillance.
Source: Northwest Public Radio