Study suggests risks vary widely in drone-human impact

New research has shown that there's a wide variation in the risk that unmanned aircraft, or drones, pose to people on the ground. The study involved collecting drone impact data from test dummies whose head and neck contained sensors to measure acceleration and force. The study is important because many of the most promising applications for these aircraft - including package delivery, public safety and traffic management - entail flights over people and raise the chance, however unlikely, of an impact between a drone and a human. New research has shown that there's a wide variation in the risk that unmanned aircraft, or drones, pose to people on the ground. Researchers at Virginia Tech assessed head and neck injury risks from three commercially available aircraft in a variety of impact scenarios.