MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) — The construction of the most advanced drone testing lab in the United Kingdom will begin at the Imperial College London in 2016, The Guardian reported Thursday.
"It's an excellent opportunity to create a state-of-the-art facility, not only in the UK but worldwide," the director of Imperial College's aerial robotics lab Dr. Mirko Kovac was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
"The time is right to invest in drones because devices like smartphones are so widespread, technology like the GPS chip has become small and cheap and can be used for drones, which has fueled this type of research," he added.
According to Kovac, the facility will be "unique and will allow us to research and test combustion for flying robots so that we can develop new engines and new principles for robotics using hazardous chemicals".
The lab is to be equipped with 16 high-speed 3D cameras that will track the robots in flight and eight that will work under water, the newspaper reported.
The flight arena is set to open in 2017 and will include a "glass-fronted cube that will be lit so that the drones are visible from the outside" and an accessible roof which will serve as a platform for takeoff and landing for outdoor flights, according to The Guardian. The drone lab will reportedly also include a prototyping facility that will allow researchers to 3D print and laser micro-machine drones.
According to the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), drones are "increasingly being used for professional applications such as surveillance and data-gathering".
The CAA prohibits unmanned surveillance aircraft from flying over or within 150 meters (492 feet) from congested areas and open-air assembles of more than 1,000 persons, and within 50 meters of any "vessel, vehicle or structure" not controlled by the person in charge of the aircraft.
