RPAS Industry Perspective: Who’s in Charge?Dr Dennis A. ShomkoDronsystems

Drones: The Market is Here and NOW

• Expected to reach maturity within this decade• Large number of industries, including:

– Precision agriculture– Entertainment– Homeland security– Assets inspection

• Drones top X-Mas presents requests:– DJI sold over 500,000 units, with sales reaching 20,000

a month– 3DRobotics – more than 30,000 units– AeroVironment: 8,000 professional small UAVs– Industry giants such as Sony joined the game

05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]

Responsibility > Impact > Liability

• A number of FAA-logged cases of incidents topped 200 in 2014. Trend – from 10 cases in March to 41 reports in September.

• Total cost of a fatality to British economy is £1,558,000, through loss of productivity, admin/legal costs, compensations, non-financial costs (Source: UK HSE Office, 10/2014)

• Direct/Indirect/Induced impact of a fatal incident involving an A320 is in the region of £750,000,000

• Cost of a drone in the UK £350-£1000

• Risks of a catastrophic events are over-dramatised by the media, but no tests, such as engine ingestion, have been performed to the day, and therefore can’t be quantified or ruled out

Credit: DailyMail

05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]

Autonomous & Automated System

• Maritime Law is the prime source of Aviation Law. Regulates Roles, Responsibilities, and creates foundation for addressing Liability issues.

• In autonomous systems, the transfer of liability does not take place in case of orderly conduct of operations: PIC is the ultimate decision maker, aided by crew, auxiliary systems, third parties: all of such are ADVISORY.

• In automated systems, control can be transferred from the operator, to AI, to third parties and so on. Therefore, transfer of liability may take place several times during a mission: a legal nightmare.

• Application of all aviation law principles to drones can lead to overregulation, and, as a result, decrease in Total Customer Value

Autonomous System50,000-25,000 BC

Automated System

05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]

DroNav Basic Principles

05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]

Liability Transfer Process

05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]

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05-06/10/2015 - Florence, Italy - Dr Dennis A. Shomko [DRONSYSTEMS]