Williston, N.D. (AP) Drone technologies first used to help troops track and engage enemies in distant battlefields are finding a lucrative market in remote U.S. oil fields.
Commercial use of drones is currently banned by the federal aviation administration. But oil giants conocophillips and british petroleum have obtained exemptions to use drones in their operations in Alaska.
Energy Intelligence President Zach Lamppa hopes to bring drone technology to North Dakota's oil fields for pipeline monitoring. Pipelines have been the cause of the state's largest oil field spills and Lamppa says drones are the best way to check them for problems.
Director of the University of North Dakota's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Engineering Program William Semke says drones can be equipped with sensors that can detect things the naked eye can't.