Tethered Drones: Keeping Tech on a Smart Leash

A Jacksonville-based company has found a way to fly towards the top of the drone industry while keeping their feet – legally speaking – on the ground.

Drone Aviation Corp. is developing the next generation of tethered UAVs – which are exactly what they sound like — drones on a leash.

As described by the company’s website, tethered drones are “designed to take off, hover and land via remote control all while being connected by a unique tether technology where all data, controls and endurance are built into the tether.”

To continue the canine metaphor, the system allows DAC to stay within the “legal backyard” of FAA regulations since drones can legally be used for commercial ventures if connected to the ground.

The company’s unique line of products has caught the attention of both the very powerful – the military – and the very wealthy – billionaires. In July, DAC won a military contract to provide blimp-like tethered UAVs that allow soldiers to train with drones. As earlier reported in DRONELIFE, the company recently garnered an $850,000 investment from biotech billionaire Phillip Frost.

“Dr. Frost has a distinguished entrepreneurial track record of success throughout the business community as well as the public marketplace and we are honored to have him … as an investor in our company,” DAC CEO Felicia Hess said in a prepared media statement.

In a recent interview in the Jacksonville Business Journal, Hess expressed optimism for the future of tethered drones and the commercial-application industry as a whole.

“Anything with the word ‘drone’ piques interest,” she said, adding, “We’re a product-focused company. We’re looking to make a statement in the surveillance industry.”

Last month, Hess reported that the company is continuing to strengthen stockholder value and enhance sales:

“Having completed much of our integration and product planning activities in the second quarter of 2014, the stage is set for continued momentum in the second half of the year. We expect our growth to be driven by the expanded use of our products by the military for in-field communications, as well as in commercial sectors, including infrastructure inspection, emergency response and aerial monitoring and security. We are excited about the near-term prospects of the Company.”