ASYMMETRIC DIALOGUE

"Autonomous flight is where it is going to end up for sure" was among the key remarks from Kim James, Director of UAV Aerial Works and Drone Guards, when presenting on the future of drone technology in the security sector. James told the recent African Drones Conference 2020 that Sky Robots, a drone development company she has, is "Betting on the future." It is developing a fully autonomous drone specifically for security. James said that utilising drones in the security sector can be about managing expectations. Applications for drones in security is limited due to South Africa prescribing to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. "These clients would be asking us whether we could fly a drone out of a control room in Sandton, 50 kilometres away and unfortunately that is not possible yet," said James. While it is technologically possible, regulations prevent long distanced control room operations. James is aiming for the future whe...