One of the keys to mixing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with general air traffic is the ability of the drone to recognize and avoid unexpected traffic on its own. These Sense and Avoid (S&A) systems must be able to work on any and all aircraft because not everything flying has the transponders necessary for the TCAS-type systems. The first step in achieving this lofty technological goal has been made but we're probably a few years away from a certified system. According to UVonline.com, a group of industry representatives organized by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the international standards organization, have come up with the technical and performance standards that would be required for such a system. If you're willing to spend $27 (we weren't) you can download a copy of the standards from the ASTM. According to UVonline.com, we could see these devices in manned aircraft as well in the future.
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One of the keys to mixing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with general air traffic is the ability of the drone to recognize and avoid unexpected traffic on its own. These Sense and Avoid (S&A) systems must be able to work on any and all aircraft because not everything flying has the transponders necessary for the TCAS-type systems. The first step in achieving this lofty technological goal has been made but we're probably a few years away from a certified system. According to 
