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Ohio College’s Technology Aimed at Safer Drone Flying

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BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (AP) – A new website and smartphone app developed by a university research institute in southwestern Ohio aims to make flying drones safer.

The lead research engineer at Wright State University Research Institute says drone operators will be able to upload flight routes or areas to the website or app. That would alert others to potential conflicts with restricted flight areas or with those who plan to fly within the same system.

Testing is continuing on the system that officials expect to be operational within three months. They hope pilots will voluntarily log into the system to decrease the chance of collisions at lower altitudes, where drones are allowed to fly.

Federal rules generally restrict drone flights to beneath 400 feet and at least 5 miles from an airport.