Experts have presented technology that can minimize the negative consequences arising from the rapid development of the drone industry through the remote identification of unique drone information (Drone ID, location data, etc.).

At the ETRI Conference 2022, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and held on the 24th (Tue) and 25th (Wed) at Samsung COEX Hall E under the theme 'Digital Transformation – A Future World Dreamed of with ICT,' a technology developed by the Telecommunications and Media Research Institute to build an integrated management system for drone identification technology compliant with regulations was introduced.

'Low-altitude small drone wireless identification and information management technology' includes △high-reliability, low-latency drone identification standard technology and high-speed mobile low-power drone identification core technology △long-range, high-density drone identification payload module and ground-based identifier technology △technology for linking drone identification information and flight range △and integrated management system technology for drone identification information and flight information.

The 'Low-Altitude Small Drone Wireless Identification and Information Management Technology' was developed to proactively respond to and comprehensively manage threats such as privacy infringement (including surreptitious filming) and safety and security issues caused by small drones.>
Through this technology, if a drone equipped with an identification module enters an unauthorized area, such as an abnormal range, the drone can be neutralized on a system that manages the information.

Drones equipped with identification modules and the integrated drone identification information management system are connected via ground-based identifiers and communicate through wired and wireless networks. Operators and general users can obtain drone identification information and related information through the network.
The exhibition official stated that European countries plan to implement registration and identification operations for drones weighing 250g or more starting in 2023, and that Korea is also currently in the process of proposing it, with plans to proceed with revisions in three stages by 2025, starting with industrial use.

For this reason, drones produced from September 2022 onwards must have the module built-in, while drones produced before 2022 must have the module attached separately. In some legalized special zones, the use of modules is not necessary.

This technology is expected to not only lay the foundation for proactively responding to and managing dysfunctions in an integrated manner, but also be utilized in drone safety management and frequency policy, and to establish an anti-drone response system consisting of three stages: detection, identification, and neutralization.

As it was announced at the 'Current Status and Future of Last Mile Delivery Using Unmanned Vehicles' conference held on this day that autonomous delivery drones have been developed to improve the quality of delivery services in the logistics market, this technology is seen as necessary for information security and safety in the skies amidst the growing importance of drones.

Meanwhile, the ETRI Conference 2022 was held on the 24th (Tue) and 25th (Wed) at Hall E of COEX, Samsung, under the theme 'Digital Transformation – A Future World Dreamed of with ICT'.

This event presented next-generation industry trends through future technology and market forecasts, as well as a conference on sharing research results. The exhibition showcased 25 technologies under four themes: Smart Living envisioned with AI, the fast and realistic hyper-connected era, a clean and safe world, and the future met through creative ICT. Held simultaneously offline and online, the conference was available for live viewing, and the metaverse venue, which replicated the exhibition hall, also drew attention.

ETRI President Kim Myung-joon said, “Through this event, we will share the values and vision of the global ICT technologies that ETRI pursues, as well as various research achievements, with industry, academia, and research institutes.”

(Photo by Reporter Kim Ye-ji)