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PCMag.com·3 min read·medium

China's HoverAir Versa Uses Modular Components to Get Around the FCC's Foreign Drone Ban - PCMag

J
Jim Fisher
China's HoverAir Versa Uses Modular Components to Get Around the FCC's Foreign Drone Ban - PCMag
AI Summary

HoverAir has released the Versa, a modular vlogging camera that can be converted into a drone using a flight kit. This design allows the device to bypass recent FCC bans on foreign-made drones.

Why it matters

This represents a significant workaround to US regulatory restrictions on foreign technology, potentially setting a precedent for other drone manufacturers.

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<p><em>Editors' Note: This story has been updated to reflect additional information and comments provided by a HoverAir representative.</em></p><p>HoverAir, an imprint of China's Zero Zero Robotics, has the dubious honor of being the first victim of the <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/fcc-foreign-drone-ban-which-drones-are-actually-banned-in-the-us-right" target="_self">FCC's foreign drone ban</a>. Its waterproof <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/hoverair-aqua-drone-appears-to-be-dead-in-the-water-for-us-market-fcc-ban" target="_self">Aqua</a> drone debuted last year on Indiegogo, but it never reached US customers due to the ban on newly introduced foreign <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-drones" target="_self">drones</a>.</p><p>However, Hover's Versa, a handheld, gimbal-stabilized vlogging camera that works with an optional Flight Kit to convert it to a drone, has now become the first consumer quadcopter to earn FCC certification since the agency's foreign drone ban was enacted last year.</p><script>

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