Commercial drone panel at Stanford
The MIT/Stanford Venture Lab (AKA VLAB, AKA The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Bay Area) is hosting a panel discussion next week called "Drones—The commercial era takes off".
Imagine delivering pizza by flying drone. Impossible Dream or Innovative Business Plan?
Drones aren't just coming soon, they are already here. While military drone technology is a hot topic these days, commercial applications of drone technology are poised to make a big impact across a number of diverse industries. The commercial implications are virtually endless - drones can be used by journalists to record aerial video and photos, by law enforcement to see without putting officers at risk, by farmers to keep an eye on crops, or by civil organizations to inspect infrastructure for safety.
In the US, commercial applications of flying drones are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The drone commercial era will begin with the announcement of the FAA's rules for integrating drones into the National Air Space by 2015. Much like the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush, an avalanche of disruptive commercial drone applications and services is bound to emerge.
The panel will be moderated by Chris Anderson (CEO of 3D Robotics) and will include Helen Greiner (co-founder of iRobot and CEO of CyPhyWorks), Jonathan Downey (CEO of Airware), Matthew Pobloske (Director of Unmanned Aircraft Programs at BAE Systems) and Zack Schildhorn (Lux Capital).
And if you're desperate for even more DIY drone discussion, the day after the VLAB panel you can see Chris Anderson at Nerd Nite SF.
I'm planning on being at both events.
Update: And on Monday night, Noisebridge is hosting a talk by Parker Higgins and Trevor Timm, the "masterminds behind the EFF's drones analysis program." Trevor Timm runs the @Drones twitter account.