Passenger Drone Tests Begin This Year; Apps Put Wildlife at Risk

Posted June 8th, 2016 at 1:08 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

The EHang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle is unveiled at the EHang booth at CES International, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP)

The EHang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle is unveiled at the EHang booth at CES International, Jan. 6, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AP)

China’s Ehang Will Test World’s First Passenger Drone This Year

Ehang – the Chinese company that unveiled an electric passenger drone in January – now has clearance to begin testing it in Nevada sometime this year. The permissions were secured through a partnership with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Ehang said its autonomous drone can take off vertically and carry a passenger for 23 minutes at 63 miles per hour.

Mobile Apps Put South Africa’s Wildlife at Risk

Tourists using mobile apps to locate big game in South Africa’s national parks are running over animals as they speed to the prized attractions. A statement from South Africa’s National Parks’ managing executive for tourism development and marketing  blamed mobile apps for an “increased rate of lawlessness in the parks including speeding, congestion at sightings as well as road kills caused by guests rushing to, and congregating around, these sightings.”

Singapore to Block Internet Access on Government Computers

Citing security reasons, the government of Singapore will remove Internet access from as many as 100,000 government work stations within a year. Singapore is one of the world’s most wired countries, but the Infocomm Development Authority said the move will not affect government operations.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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