"I don't want inferior products to fly over endangered species. The best tool you need to give me, and that's DJI. An American scientist said. The encirclement and interception of Chinese drones by American politicians is causing a number of scientists to frown.
In a December 16 article published in the American journal Science, consumer drones made by the Chinese company DJI have been the main force of academic research by the nonprofit Ocean Alliance, but Chinese products are at risk of being banned amid the clamor of American politicians calling "national security." And for this prospect, some American marine scientists called it "simply crazy", because there is no alternative to Chinese drones, almost the only product they trust.
The DJI drone flew over the whale to collect biological data from the jet of water Screenshot of the video
Ocean Alliance launched a project called Snotbot a few years ago, which sends drones to whale-infested seas, and as they leap out of the water to exhale, they collect jets of water ejected from their bodies as research samples to analyze the rich biological data: DNA, hormones and a large number of microbes. DJI drones played an important role in the project.
In a video released by DJI, researchers mounted a sample collection device onto the DJI Inspire 1 drone and flew to the airspace where the whale exhaled liquid, documenting how the drone collects samples at a lower cost and with less risk, and also reduces the disturbance to large creatures such as whales.
Ocean Alliance CEO Ian M. Iain Kerr said that "Snotbot" offers a non-invasive, less expensive way to understand endangered megafauna compared to traditional biopsy tasks.
However, the research campaign is facing challenges from the U.S. Politicians Act, which could prevent U.S. scientists from using Chinese-made drones for research activities.
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025 on the 11th and 18th of this month, respectively, and two Chinese companies, DJI and Autel Robotics, may be banned from selling new drones in the U.S. market. The 1,800-page bill asserts that U.S. national security agencies must determine within one year whether the drones of the two companies pose an "unacceptable national security risk."
U.S. law enforcement officers operate DJI drones on the DJI website
DJI is the world's largest drone manufacturer, selling more than half of the commercial drones in the U.S. market. DJI said that if no institution completes the study, the company's products will be automatically added to what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calls a "controlled list." If this is the case, it would mean that the company "will not be able to launch a new product in the U.S. market for reasons other than its own, simply because no institution has chosen to take on the task of researching our products."
DJI also said that Chinese drones have been subject to unfair scrutiny, and that the company "has proactively submitted its products to regular independent security audits and expanded the scope of built-in user privacy controls in consumer and enterprise drones."
Science notes that DJI's drones have long been the go-to choice for many researchers, whether it's mapping the carbon cycle in ecosystems, tracking microbes in wildfire smoke, or monitoring everything from vulnerable species. DJI currently accounts for 70 to 90 percent of the U.S. drone market, and scientists say they have few other options. Drones currently produced in the U.S. cost 10 times more than DJI, but have a shorter range and battery life.
Now the bill by American politicians may force scientists to give up their vital scientific tools, leaving many researchers using drones nervous about the future.
"I've barely heard of anyone who would make you stop using something you can't replace." Cole bluntly said, "In my opinion, this is simply insane!" ”
"I don't want inferior products to fly over endangered species. The best tool you need to give me, and that's DJI. He added.
Screenshot of the video of the "Ocean Alliance" researchers flying DJI drones
Some also said they feared that other government agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Forest Service, would follow the Pentagon's lead and ban all DJI drones used in research across the board.
Leda Kobziar, a wildfire scientist at the University of Idaho and a scholar in the field of flame aerobiology, often asks her to send drone formations into the raging flames to gather microbial information.
Kobuzi lamented that even in the face of the high temperature of the flames and the test of convective air masses, the performance of DJI drones is "very stable". In contrast, she often sees failures such as communication errors with drones of other brands.
In response to a possible ban, Kobzi's team has been scraping together money to buy an American-made drone that costs twice as much as DJI, so the team had to limit the number to one.
Kobzi's team uses DJI drones to collect biological samples from wildfires, according to Science magazine
Tom Bell of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is also a big user of Chinese drones, using DJI drones to map the carbon stored in coastal seaweed and seagrass. In order to bring expensive sensors to the far sea, DJI is the only drone brand he trusts because "you don't have to worry about your drone not coming back".
Now Bell is also concerned about the lack of realistic U.S. alternatives to the mid-size drones preferred by most labs.
Arjan Meddens, an ecologist at Washington State University, uses DJI drones to map forest ecosystems. If the U.S. really wants to ban Chinese equipment, he said, it should invest in better and more affordable drone technology, otherwise U.S. researchers will face high research costs and be "at a very disadvantage" compared to scientists elsewhere.
In fact, U.S. politicians have been unwarranted harassers about Chinese drones for years. In 2017, the Pentagon banned the U.S. military from using DJI drone products on the grounds of so-called "data security risks" and began a year-long sanction against it. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that a number of Chinese companies, including DJI, would be included on the "Entity List" for export control, citing "violations of U.S. national security."
Since the beginning of this year, some U.S. politicians have continued to advocate suppressing and restricting Chinese drones. In March, the U.S. China Commission called on the Biden administration to impose higher tariffs on Chinese drones, including those transshipped into the U.S. from other countries, and to introduce new incentives to boost the development of U.S. drone manufacturers.
During a mountain rescue operation, the Webb County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, USA, used DJI drones to carry out rescues. Screenshot of the video
Good quality, high technology, fast delivery, affordable price...... However, in the face of the advantages of China's drone products, the blocking order of US politicians is causing more and more dissatisfaction.
"The United States is not ready to get rid of its dependence on Chinese drones." A report published in the Wall Street Journal on August 7 pointed out that attempts by U.S. politicians to ban Chinese-made drones are being resisted by domestic mountain rescue teams, police stations and farmers. Legions of loyal users of Chinese drones have protested, calling elected officials, writing op-eds and signing joint letters opposing the ban, because American-made drones are far inferior to Chinese products in terms of technology and capabilities.
In June, Nikkei Asia also said that some public safety agencies, including Kentucky, New Jersey and Connecticut, had used their own budgets to buy Chinese drones. Many people say they will buy even if the U.S. government raises tariffs.
Some law enforcement officials point out that the price of American drones is three to four times that of Chinese drones, but the level of technology cannot be compared.
Kentucky police officer Trasway Cook made the analogy: "Would you rather drive a Cadillac Escalade (ultra-luxury SUV) with all the comfort and performance to make your job easier, or would you rather spend more money on a Ford Escort (compact sedan) that has no options at all?" ”
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