The Texas police department is launching an autonomous drone pilot program: 'A watchful eye from above'

The autonomous drone pilot program is scheduled to launch this week.

The Texas police department is launching an autonomous drone pilot program: 'A watchful eye from above'
The Texas police department is launching an autonomous drone pilot program: 'A watchful eye from above'

The Bee Cave Police Department in Texas is testing an autonomous drone system called "AV8" as part of a pilot project. The drones are built by eve Vehicles, a start-up based in Austin. The system is designed to keep drones on-target and provide real-time information to officers. According to Bee Cave Chief of Police Brian Jones, the drones serve as an "eye in the sky" and can help officers respond to emergency calls more quickly.

""For two years, we've been working on this specific concept," said Eve Vehicles co-founder and CEO Roger Pecina to FOX 7 Austin."

Onboard batteries provide approximately 40 minutes of flight time for the drones.

Bee Cave police drone
The autonomous AV8 drones are governed by a computer system created by eve Vehicles in Austin, Texas. (KVUE)

"When the drone's battery is low, it will call another drone in the network to replace it. Afterward, the drone will fly to the nearest nest to recharge its battery."

In the pilot program, emergency calls are reached by drones following pre-programmed routes along local roads and highways.

The rescue drone is designed to save lives by hitting beaches and providing a flying lifebuoy.

The AV8 system, which is a drone-based emergency response system, is set to be deployed in Bee Cave, a suburb of Austin, next week on limited emergency calls. However, the entire system will not be deployed until another month or two. The future plan is to add a night vision option and a parachute safety system to the drones. The drones are launched from "Nests," which are open-air platforms.

Bee Cave PD drone footage shared live, background
Bee Cave Police announced a partnership with eve Vehicles in Austin to launch an autonomous drone program for emergency calls. (KVUE)

Three launch sites, including two schools, were chosen for the Bee Cave AV8 pilot program before the mass shooting at Georgia's Apalachee High School.

"If a school shooter incident like the one in Georgia were to occur here, and we had the drone technology capability, we could know their location before the officers arrive and better respond to the situation, potentially saving lives," said Police Chief Brian Jones to FOX 7 Austin.

There is no official start date for the Bee Cave AV8 pilot program.

The Bee Cave Police Department did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.

by Jasmine Baehr

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