In the U.S., our way around foreign drone import bans is to sell flying cameras

In December last year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned the import of foreign drones and their production parts. Zero Zero Robotics has found an elegant way around the ban with the HoverAir Versa camera, which you can attach propellers to.

Image source: indiegogo.com

The device, called the HoverAir Versa, is not marketed as a drone, but rather as a mini Steadicam with detachable propellers for flying. “The Flight Kit is an accessory that enhances the functionality of Versa. As such, HoverAir fully complies with current regulatory requirements for complete product configurations offered to U.S. consumers.”the company explained. So far, the move has worked: On August 9, the FCC approved the HoverAir Versa, and the company launched the project on the Indiegogo platform.

Resource reminder, in fact, everything is not that simple edge. When the FCC issued a ban on the import of foreign drones, the agency blocked automatic approval of foreign-made drone radio equipment. Cameras are exempt from the ban except for products from DJI and Autel Robotics. HoverAir Versa is approved by a private company authorized by the FCC, but the FCC can revoke it.

The HoverAir Versa propeller is connected to the camera via copper contacts and does not have a radio module on the propeller itself. The ban on drone components also includes cameras – since the camera on the device is also equipped with a radio module, it falls under the FCC’s jurisdiction. If the FCC now rules that HoverAir Versa “Key components of drones”then the Commission may revoke it within 30 days after the license is issued, and this period has not yet expired.
The HoverAir Versa camera is sold without propellers, but only 12 of the project’s backers on Indiegogo chose this option.