Polsinelli Drones & Robots Your Edge in Autonomous Technology

Polsinelli Drones & Robots

Your Edge in Autonomous Technology

Latest Articles

When the Algorithm Decides: Autonomous Drone AI and the Legal Reckoning Operators Aren't Ready For
Buyer's Guide

When the Algorithm Decides: Autonomous Drone AI and the Legal Reckoning Operators Aren't Ready For

Autonomous drones that make real-time flight decisions without human input are creating a profound liability gap that existing law was never designed to address. From property damage claims to personal injury litigation, operators are discovering that courts, insurers, and regulators are all struggling to assign responsibility when an AI system is the one that made the call. Before your next autonomous mission, here is what the legal landscape actually looks like.
Frequency Under Siege: What Expanding 5G Infrastructure Means for Your Drone Operations
Buyer's Guide

Frequency Under Siege: What Expanding 5G Infrastructure Means for Your Drone Operations

As 5G networks continue their aggressive rollout across the United States, commercial drone operators are discovering that frequency bands once considered reliable are becoming increasingly contested. Understanding where spectrum conflicts are most severe—and how to adapt before they ground your operations—has become a professional necessity, not an afterthought.
When the Fence Fails: The Uncomfortable Truth About Geofencing in Autonomous Flight Operations
Buyer's Guide

When the Fence Fails: The Uncomfortable Truth About Geofencing in Autonomous Flight Operations

Geofencing is marketed as an airtight safeguard against unauthorized airspace incursions, but real-world deployments tell a more complicated story. From GPS spoofing vulnerabilities to stale airspace databases, the gap between advertised capability and field performance is wider than most operators realize. Understanding exactly where these systems break down—and what practical countermeasures exist—is essential for any professional operating in complex airspace environments.
From Airspace to Ground Level: The Career Pivot Reshaping the Autonomous Technology Workforce
Industrial Robotics

From Airspace to Ground Level: The Career Pivot Reshaping the Autonomous Technology Workforce

A growing number of experienced commercial drone operators are trading their remote controllers for robotics programming interfaces, drawn by steadier employment, reduced regulatory friction, and expanding industrial demand. This shift is quietly redrawing the talent map across both sectors, leaving aviation short-handed while accelerating ground-based automation's growth.
Invisible Interference: How Radio Frequency Congestion Is Quietly Grounding Commercial Drone Missions
Buyer's Guide

Invisible Interference: How Radio Frequency Congestion Is Quietly Grounding Commercial Drone Missions

Radio frequency interference has emerged as one of the most underappreciated threats to commercial drone operations in dense urban and industrial environments. From signal dropouts mid-mission to complete loss of control link, RF congestion is costing operators time, money, and credibility. Understanding the problem—and acting before regulatory decisions reshape the spectrum landscape—is no longer optional.
What Your Commercial Drone and Robotics Insurance Policy Won't Tell You—Until It's Too Late
Buyer's Guide

What Your Commercial Drone and Robotics Insurance Policy Won't Tell You—Until It's Too Late

Most commercial drone and robotics operators assume their insurance coverage is sufficient—until a claim is denied. This guide exposes the exclusions, policy mismatches, and common misunderstandings that leave operators financially exposed, and provides a practical framework for auditing your coverage before disaster strikes.
Trained to Leave: The Hidden Retention Crisis Threatening the Commercial Drone Workforce
Buyer's Guide

Trained to Leave: The Hidden Retention Crisis Threatening the Commercial Drone Workforce

The commercial drone industry is certifying new pilots at a record pace, yet qualified operators are exiting the workforce faster than training programs can replace them. A confluence of structural pressures—erratic schedules, liability exposure, and pay scales that rarely match the skill demanded—is quietly hollowing out the talent pool that clients and drone service companies depend on. Understanding why operators are leaving may be the most urgent operational challenge the industry faces head
Governing the Ungovernable: How Federal Agencies Are Falling Behind Autonomous Technology—and What Operators Must Do Now
Buyer's Guide

Governing the Ungovernable: How Federal Agencies Are Falling Behind Autonomous Technology—and What Operators Must Do Now

Innovation in autonomous systems is advancing at a pace that federal regulators simply were not designed to match, leaving drone operators and robotics professionals navigating an increasingly complex patchwork of outdated rules and uncharted gray zones. From beyond-visual-line-of-sight autonomy to AI-driven decision-making, entire categories of commercially viable technology exist in a legal limbo that creates both risk and competitive opportunity. Understanding where the regulatory frontier li
Beyond the Obvious: How Thermal Imaging Drones Are Unlocking Revenue Streams Operators Rarely Consider
Buyer's Guide

Beyond the Obvious: How Thermal Imaging Drones Are Unlocking Revenue Streams Operators Rarely Consider

Thermal-equipped drones have long been associated with electrical inspections and rooftop surveys, but the market is considerably broader than most operators recognize. From precision agriculture to nighttime search-and-rescue coordination, temperature-sensing platforms are generating measurable revenue in sectors that remain underserved. This guide examines where the genuine opportunities lie and what technical requirements US operators must meet to compete.
Power vs. Endurance: How Battery Innovations Are Rewriting the Rules of Commercial Drone Missions
Buyer's Guide

Power vs. Endurance: How Battery Innovations Are Rewriting the Rules of Commercial Drone Missions

Battery technology remains one of the most consequential variables in commercial drone operations, shaping everything from mission planning to overall profitability. In 2025, a new generation of energy storage solutions is forcing operators to rethink long-held assumptions about flight time, payload capacity, and equipment investment. This guide examines the real-world trade-offs that professionals across construction, agriculture, and utilities are navigating right now.
Automation's Broken Promise: Why So Many Commercial Robotics Deployments Collapse Before They Deliver
Industrial Robotics

Automation's Broken Promise: Why So Many Commercial Robotics Deployments Collapse Before They Deliver

The gap between robotics ROI projections and actual deployment outcomes is wider than most vendors will acknowledge, and the consequences for manufacturers and logistics operations can be severe. An analysis of failed automation projects reveals recurring failure patterns rooted not in the technology itself, but in the organizational and integration decisions surrounding it. Understanding these patterns is the first step toward avoiding them.
Certified but Scarce: Why Commercial Drone Hiring Remains Stubbornly Difficult
Buyer's Guide

Certified but Scarce: Why Commercial Drone Hiring Remains Stubbornly Difficult

Despite competitive salaries and surging demand, the commercial drone industry cannot find enough qualified pilots to fill open positions. From certification bottlenecks to the gap between regulatory requirements and real-world field skills, the talent crunch is reshaping how operators recruit, train, and retain their workforce.
Many Small Versus One Large: The Case for Swarm Robotics in Modern Operations
Industrial Robotics

Many Small Versus One Large: The Case for Swarm Robotics in Modern Operations

Swarm robotics — coordinated networks of smaller, simpler machines — is challenging the assumption that bigger and more powerful always means better. Across agriculture, logistics, and emergency response, distributed robot systems are demonstrating advantages in flexibility, fault tolerance, and scalability that single-unit automation cannot match, though the technology carries its own set of tradeoffs that operators must carefully evaluate.
Buyer's Guide

Grounded Ambitions: The Real Obstacles Standing Between Drone Delivery and Your Front Door

Drone delivery has been promised for years, yet most American households remain far outside any operational coverage zone. A closer look at the regulatory, infrastructural, and logistical realities reveals why the gap between pilot programs and nationwide adoption is wider than most headlines suggest—and what it will realistically take to close it.
Eyes in the Sky, Boots Off the Ground: How Drone Inspections Are Reshaping Industrial Careers
Industrial Robotics

Eyes in the Sky, Boots Off the Ground: How Drone Inspections Are Reshaping Industrial Careers

Across America's energy infrastructure, transportation networks, and industrial facilities, drones are systematically replacing some of the most hazardous work in the skilled trades. The shift is generating measurable safety gains and significant cost reductions for operators—while simultaneously opening a well-compensated career pathway for professionals willing to pursue the right credentials.
Industrial Robotics

Automation Decisions for Small Manufacturers: Where Robotics ROI Is Real and Where It Isn't

The case for factory automation sounds compelling in trade publications, but the reality for small and mid-sized manufacturers is considerably more nuanced. Before committing capital to robotics, operators need an honest accounting of hidden costs, workforce implications, and the specific production conditions where automation genuinely pays — and where it does not.
Buyer's Guide

Turning Flight Hours Into Revenue: A Drone Operator's Guide to Selling Sensor and Imagery Data

Every flight your drone completes generates far more value than the task it was hired to perform. A growing marketplace for geospatial, agricultural, and infrastructure data is giving commercial operators a second revenue stream — if they know where to look and how to comply with the rules governing data commercialization.
Buyer's Guide

Filing Smart: A Commercial Drone Operator's Complete Guide to Tax Deductions and IRS Compliance

Operating a drone commercially in the United States opens the door to a range of meaningful tax advantages—but only if you understand the rules. From equipment depreciation to Section 179 elections, this guide walks drone professionals through the strategies that reduce tax liability and keep them on the right side of IRS regulations.
Industrial Robotics

Beyond "Stop": How Next-Generation Sensors Are Redefining Autonomous Robot Safety

The gap between a robot that stops when it detects an obstacle and one that genuinely understands its environment is vast—and closing faster than most industries realize. Advances in LiDAR, depth-sensing cameras, and millimeter-wave radar are enabling a new class of autonomous systems capable of predictive, context-aware decision-making that goes far beyond basic collision avoidance.
What Drone Ownership Actually Costs in 2024: The Full Financial Picture
Buyer's Guide

What Drone Ownership Actually Costs in 2024: The Full Financial Picture

The price tag on a new drone tells only a fraction of the story. From FAA registration fees and liability insurance to replacement propellers and cloud software subscriptions, the real cost of drone ownership can far exceed what most buyers anticipate. This guide breaks down every line item so recreational flyers and commercial operators alike can budget with confidence.