5 comments

[ 0.24 ms ] story [ 21.1 ms ] thread
Why does a blockchain need to be used here? A database would be sufficient. Why restrict the service to a single currency? Just seems like a cover to hold an ICO and make some money.

The concept seems odd too. Contiguous property owners will probably not all participate so the drones will be forced to fly nonlinear routes.

Great question, when we started the project we weren't looking for a use of the blockchain, we were looking for a way to enable property owners (hosts) to easily grant access to their low-altitude airspace.

The concept being, property owners can almost passively notify the entire network (i.e. blockchain) that their airspace is available for use, making their under-utilized asset (airspace) a potential source of income entailing minimal effort. In the "sharing economy" there are non-trivial liability concerns and physical safety considerations that should not be ignored when allowing other parties to access one’s home, vehicle or property. Granting temporary airspace access to drones in exchange for compensation is an ideal type of under-utilized asset.

AERO Network flight routes will be determined from available Right-of-Ways on the AERO Network. Drone service providers can map contiguous flight routes from daisy-chaining available airspace on the AERO Network, enabling uninterrupted flight routes. Unlike conventional fixed winged aircraft, drones don't require linear paths to get from A -> B.

regarding the concept... the part I like about it is that it provides a mechanism for property owners to at least have a "say" in what flies over their property (and when). It's perhaps not a big deal now, but if drone delivery, et. al. become commonplace, I see this as the drone equivalent of a do-not-call list.
Agreed, the voluntary participation component is a material differentiator, as opposed to thrusting air traffic over people's homes or property, as is the case with most infrastructure development (railway, pipelines, transmission lines, etc) usually in the form of an eminent domain action.
(comment deleted)