Fallen Drone Came Close to Striking Skier

Drones have definitely had their fair share of coverage in the news, even more so when owners are required to register their flying machines with the FAA. Having said that, here is one bit of news that might just make us be more wary of these remote controlled flying machines – a drone that was filming the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men’s slalom malfunctioned and crashed to the ground, making it missing four-time defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher in a close shave.

The failed drone in question was carrying a broadcast TV camera, where it ended up in snow right behind Hirscher, resulting in its gears and machinery being splattered all over the slope. Hirscher adeptly took to social media by posted an image of the crashed drone, mentioning in passing, “Heavy air traffic in Italy.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, he continued, “This is horrible. This can never happen again. This can be a serious injury.” Still, this extremely close call did not seem to affect Hirscher’s performance in the race at all, as he ended up with the second fastest time in that run before claiming the overall lead in the competition. Truly nerves of still, him, which is why he is a champion in the first place. [Press Release]

Edwin Kee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Drones