Report: NASA and Verizon are trying out tech that could monitor all U.S. drones

NASA and Verizon are working on technology which will monitor commercial and civilian drones in the U.S., it was revealed Thursday.

The Guardian reports NASA will use Verizon's network of cellphone towers to determine whether or not it is possible to monitor low-altitude drone flight with tests beginning later this summer. Verizon will also announce a technology which will allow them to use its cellular network "for data, navigation, surveillance and tracking of drones" in 2017, with a final product arriving in 2019.

As became clear when a government employee accidentally flew a drone into the White House grounds, drone usage in the U.S. is something of a wild west situation. NASA's unmanned aircraft system (UAS) could create a sort of traffic control system within four years, the report saidIts system would be able to geo-fence drones to prevent another White House incident, to stop them from crashing into things (including other drones), and to keep them out of congested airspace. Read more...