Drone manufacturers look to developers for drone apps

Drone manufacturer 3D Robotics announced Thursday it was launching Dronekit, an API for the development of drone apps.

According to commentators the app would give people the opportunity to create useful apps for many drones, tapping into the technology's potential.

''We want to encourage as many people as possible to use this and make it as easy as possible to use. That's how you drive adoption,'' said Roger Sollenberger, editorial director at 3D Robotics. ''You make it easy, you make it accessible, you make it powerful. And then people make it useful.''

3D Robotics was not the only drone manufacturer to embrace outsider created apps.

DJI, a major player in the drone world, in Novemeber, announced a software development kit to allow developers to make apps for its Phantom 2 Vision.

The contest that it held in February let college students submit their apps.

The winning app let drivers share the location of car crashes through messaging app WeChat.

A drone would then be dispatched to photograph the accident scene. The app would share traffic conditions with emergency responders to enable them take the best route to the site.

Another app the contest recognised photographed and calculated in real time the number of people in a specified area, which could be useful to personnel working in crowd control.

Meanwhile, AppMovement.com, a website created by Newcastle University is calling on drone enthusiasts to help design an app for drone flyers which would help keep them informed of locations where it was legal and safe-to-fly drones.

The creators seek to crowdsource input, with the design stage set to get underway next week.

With the increasing number of consumer multi-rotor aircraft, UAVs or drones being flown around the world, some confusion prevailed as to where one could legally fly drones, with both manufacturers and airspace regulators keen to educate people on the issue.

Users would need to be aware of any prohibitions or local laws; in the UK, for instance, one cannot fly over or within 150 metres of congested areas or within 50 metres of people, vehicles or structures of buildings not under one's control with a camera drone.

This was aimed at allowing flyers to share appropriate and legal sites they had found for flying, wherever they were located in the world.