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American Robotics secures FAA approval for commercial deployment of Scout drone systems

American Robotics has been granted a new exemption by the FAA which enables the company to not only operate its autonomous Scout drone system for research, development, crew training, and market surveys, but also for full-scale commercial operations.

This new approval comes on the heels of another recent waiver which allowed for fully-automated beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations at ranges of up to 10 miles. That waiver enabled American Robotics Scout drones to operate over larger areas with the ability to customize range based on site geographies.

The company is quick to point out that these critical updates from the FAA signal a shift to a greater emphasis on the implementation of autonomous drone operations nationwide. It’s also worth noting that the new exemption is American Robotics’ fourth milestone approval in less than two years.

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The Ondas Holdings subsidiary says it can now provide autonomous drone operations to commercial industries such as oil and gas, rail, and mining. As American Robotics cofounder and CEO Reese Mozer put it:

Wide-scale adoption of autonomous drone technology represents a generational shift in how critical industries monitor, map, and inspect assets, unlocking new efficiencies, increasing safety, and reducing environmental impact.

Mozer was recently invited to participate in the White House Summit on Advanced Air Mobility, which gathered stakeholders and experts from the industry for a conversation on the future of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and how it will benefit Americans and help the nation reach domestic policy, national security, climate, and economic goals.

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Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.