A startup funded by Microsoft owner Bill Gates is looking for permission to test a radar-powered drone detector system at the Superbowl this Sunday. Echodyne has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) to experiment with the technology during the NFL's marquee event in Atlanta. It is capable of detecting drones up to 0.6 miles away and remotely disable them. The radar focused tech company from Seattle hopes to operate two experimental radars'in the immediate vicinity' of the stadium. It will be operated alongside the FBI and'alert authorities' of any unidentified drone activity during the event if it receives authorisation for the project.

A Bill Gates-funded startup is seeking permission to test a new kind of drone detector at Sunday's Super Bowl game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots in Atlanta, Georgia. Echodyne, a Seattle-based company, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Sunday to operate two experimental radars "in the immediate vicinity" of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to "alert security personnel, including Federal officers, of any unidentified drone activity during Super Bowl LIII". The drone tests would be conducted under the guidance and direction of the FBI. Atlanta police have said there will be a zero tolerance policy for drones near the Super Bowl stadium, with hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers watching for illegal flights. Reports of rogue drones grounded flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey last week, and forced the closure of Gatwick, Britain's second-busiest airport, for several days in December.

The government's demand for drones and drone operators continues to soar. In fact, earlier this month the head of Air Education and Training Command said that the U.S. Air Force now has more jobs for MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones than any other type of pilot position. Now, a new initiative hopes to speed up the procurement process for smaller drones – saving time, money, and lives. It is part of a new mission for Customs and Border Protection: helping agents in the field see beyond their line of sight, and secure a wider area, without sacrificing safety. "They want to see what's over the next hill," explains Kevin McAleenan, CBP's acting commissioner.

As we've pointed out over the last few years, there are some issues with the idea of urban or suburban delivery drones. Besides the fact that they're illegal right now, the biggest technological problem is that none of the delivery drones that we've seen so far seem to have any kind of sense-and-avoid capability that could realistically deal with the challenges of urban airspace, including everything from other drones to light aircraft to birds to trees to overhead wiring. There are some drones that try to use cameras for this, and at least one that relies on lidar, but for reliable all-weather sensing with the kind of range and resolution that you'd need for safe autonomous flight, the best answer might be to just do what aircraft have been doing for decades: use radar. To be fair, there are lots of excellent reasons why drones haven't been using radar for sense and avoid. The kind of radar that's small enough and affordable enough to fit on a drone is the kind that you're likely to find in cars with adaptive cruise control.