The USA is trying to figure out how to open up the skies to drones and other flying machines.
There are three major challenges to taking a gamble on filling the skies: The first and the second have to do with money and technology. Exorbitant sums are flowing to start-ups for cheap flying taxis, achievable with existing technologies. Nearly 70 prototypes are currently being developed, with the support of Toyota, Hyundai and Daimler. The third challenge is perhaps the most difficult: how to regulate airspace so that large fleets of flying vehicles can operate safely.
In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working with private companies such as AirMap, a California-based startup, to develop a new management system for unmanned air traffic. This system would allow any aerial vehicle to know the location of any other flying objects nearby, and to transmit all of its own parameters before takeoff, providing a safe and efficient route. This would be a real shock to the transport sector.
