Vice President for Campus Operations Jim Gray announced new policies restricting the use of drones and lithium-ion powered skateboards on campus.
“Hoverboards” are sometimes referred to as smart boards or balance boards. According to Consumer Reports, if one were looking to purchase a hoverboard, they may purchase a Swagway X1 or a MonoRover R2 on Amazon.com. For the purposes of this article, they will be referred to by the overarching term, “hoverboards.”
These boards do not literally hover in midair. They are lithium-ion powered skateboards that allow the user to move forward or backward without removing their feet from the board. They are new, popular and difficult to regulate. As of now, hoverboards do not adhere to any standard practice of safety.
In an email to the Brandeis community, Gray cited safety concerns as the reason for banning hoverboards from campus. According to Consumer Reports, “the Consumer Product Safety Commission (or CPSC) has identified 39 emergency room visits related to hoverboard falls since August.” The severity of falls related to hoverboards range from bruises to lacerations.
Hoverboards also have technical issues. Lithium-ion powered skateboards have made the news for their ability to spontaneously combust. The CPSC is currently investigating incidents of combustion. U.S. CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye released a statement in response to these incidents on Dec. 16, 2015. “CPSC engineers in our National Product Testing and Evaluation Center in Maryland have tested and will continue to test new and damaged boards in search of an answer for why some models caught fire during the charging stage and others caught fire while in use. Our expert staff is looking particularly closely at the configuration of the battery packs and compatibility with the chargers,” wrote Kaye.
The decision to ban hoverboards from campus relied heavily on this technological problem as well as popular response to it. In an email to The Brandeis Hoot, Gray wrote, “Our decision to ban the storage and use of hoverboards and related devices is based on some serious safety concerns, including the well-documented risk of spontaneous combustion. This is a national concern, and a growing number of colleges and universities in the Boston-area and across the country have implemented similar bans. We will continue to monitor product-safety information and will revise this decision as merited.”
New policies governing the use of drones on campus are less restrictive than those imposed on hoverboards. In an email to the Brandeis community, Gray wrote that the committee has decided to ban the recreational use of the unmanned area vehicles on campus. However, the technology may still be used for educational purposes. “The indoor use of drones in teaching and research is permitted with appropriate training, supervision and notification of building administrators. However, outdoor teaching or research uses of drones require the permission of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Brandeis Police Department,” wrote Gray. In an email to The Hoot, Gray stated that appropriate training for instructors using drones in an educational setting “may vary based on why and how they are being used.”
National policy regarding the recreational usage of drones is still evolving. In his email, Gray stated that the university would update its policies based on federal regulations and educational practices. As of now, Gray does not know of any classes that intend to use drones for educational purposes this semester.
The new drone policies are not in response to any direct campus incidents involving drones. “We formed the committee last September in response to the increasing popularity—and use—of drones in the general public and the related safety and privacy issues,” wrote Gray in an email to The Hoot. Chief of Police Ed Callahan confirmed that there have not been any issues regarding drone usage on campus.
As a result, the committee’s decision relies heavily on two aspects of drone usage—safety and privacy. The fact that the unmanned aerial vehicles are equipped with cameras raises questions in the realm or privacy rights. “Although there wasn’t a specific incident on campus that drove our decision, there have been reports across the country of drones flying into and injuring people. There is also the issue of one’s right to not be photographed or videotaped without permission, and many drones are equipped to capture photos and videos. This policy only limits the use of drones on campus. People are free to use drones on non-university property.”
