The US Department of Transportation has recently released blockchain-powered drones.
The government agency said in an April 15 report:
“Blockchain technology is being looked on to deliver a framework that can be used by stakeholders in the commercial drone industry.”
However, the government agency noted benefits in areas such as security, ID management, conflict management, flight authorization, and air traffic management.
#Blockchain has all sorts of uses cases in the #drone world, @benjaminpirus reports on recent government agency findings. https://t.co/pFksqMPCKA — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) April 28, 2020
It has been reported that the US Department of Transportation listed a number of use cases for drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), as these robotic air bots can run by themselves, or through remote human intervention from medical deliveries to military strike capabilities.
The report detailed:
“The number and variety of UASs and the diverse operations they are or may be expected to soon be involved in make these aircraft especially suitable to the trust and operational integrity provided by blockchains.”
Likewise, unmanned aircraft carry an element of liability, as no one is on board these small rigs to ensure their processes.
The report said:
“Blockchain can add trust with the use of policies and protocols.”
Also, the report mentioned a group of potential areas in which blockchain might bring added safety, including aircraft communications, tracking, and crowded area protocol to name a few.
The report added:
“Blockchain has already been used to address some UAS trust and integrity issues.”
As authorities can already look into previous drone-related accidents after the fact using flight data recorders, they added blockchain to the equation makes that data more effective and useful.
The report noted:
“A blockchain-based flight recorder would do so in real time and could also allow law enforcement to be proactive instead of reactive.”
Thus, the report concluded:
“One company has proposed a blockchain-based black-box UAS system that would enable industry regulators to track and review drone flight data, insurance companies to insure drones based on reliable third-party data, and pilots to ensure compliance with regulators.”
Source: Cointelegraph | Image: Pixabay