The world’s first drone superhighway will open in the UK between June and early July, allowing pilotless drones to make high-speed deliveries across the country. Developed by drone software provider Altitude Angel, the 165-mile-long Skyway network will connect Coventry in the Midlands to Milton Keynes in the Southeast.
However, sceptics have warned that the drone highway ‘inevitably poses risk’ for the privacy and safety of Britons living in its flight path.
Speaking to MailOnline, Chris Cole, director of campaign group Drone Wars, said:
‘While the drone industry are incredibly happy about this, for people who end up living under the drones it may well end up being super annoying and super intrusive.’
Once completed, the drone superhighway will consist of 30 ‘Arrow Towers’ which can control drones from the ground. Together, these towers will form a virtual highway that lets drones travel safely – without any need for a human pilot.
Stephen Farmer, head of corporate communications for Altitude Angel, told MailOnline:
‘At the moment, you need to see a drone and be within 500m to fly it.’
At a height of 400 feet, the developer claims that anyone on the ground will hardly be able to see, let alone hear drones overhead
Each tower on the ground acts as a ‘human spotter’, allowing drones to be flown far beyond the sight of any human pilot. With each tower offering a range of 2.5 miles (4km), drones are ‘passed’ up the chain of the superhighway so that they can fly long distances.
Each tower on the ground is equipped with powerful sensors that build a virtual map of everything within the airspace. By communicating with drones in the air, the towers can coordinate traffic so that drones avoid each other, as well as any obstacles they might encounter.
The superhighway has been developed using part of a £273 million government investment in the aerospace industry and a £5 million investment by BT.
Currently, 15 of the 30 towers have been built, covering an area of 80-90 miles. Altitude Angel had initially suggested that the superhighway could be extended down to Southampton and westwards to Bentwaters.
However, the company has now confirmed these extensions will not be constructed due to difficulty finding sites to build new towers.
Mr Farmer explained:
‘We’ve been dealing with a lot of private individuals, whether that’s sports clubs or farmers, and it’s been quite a challenge to find the necessary infrastructure.
‘People just had a reluctance to put hardware in fields so there’s been quite a bit of negotiation with landowners and that’s taken longer than we anticipated.’
A plan to build a Reading to Cambridge leg has also been cancelled as Altitude Angel focuses on completing the main body of the superhighway.
Source: The Daily Mail