HoverAir’s transforming modular drone has already been halted in the US
HoverAir’s transforming modular drone has already been halted in the US
HoverAir 的模块化变形无人机在美国已被叫停
I am so sorry, fellow US gadget fans: the FCC’s drone ban appears to have struck again. The HoverAir Versa — a baby steadycam with snap-on propeller wings that transform it into a drone — has already stopped taking US orders just three days after its Indiegogo debut, and may be forced to abandon shipping plans in the US.
各位美国的科技产品爱好者，我很抱歉：美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）的无人机禁令似乎再次发威了。HoverAir Versa 是一款带有可拆卸螺旋桨机翼的微型稳定器相机，能变身为无人机。然而，在 Indiegogo 众筹上线仅三天后，它就已经停止接受美国订单，并可能被迫放弃在美国的交付计划。
HoverAir is now telling backers it’s only shipping its camera to the US, not the piece that turns it into a drone, “due to a few remaining logistics updates with the Flight Kit.” But those “logistics” may actually be a euphemism for “we’ve been banned by the federal government.” The FCC’s database no longer has an entry for the HoverAir Versa at all, suggesting that its authorization grant has been pulled.
HoverAir 目前告知支持者，由于“飞行套件（Flight Kit）还有一些物流更新”，他们只会向美国运送相机部分，而不会运送使其变身为无人机的组件。但这些所谓的“物流”可能只是“我们已被联邦政府封杀”的委婉说法。FCC 的数据库中已完全找不到 HoverAir Versa 的条目，这表明其授权许可已被撤销。
On Wednesday, I told you how giving a camera wings probably wasn’t a good enough loophole to keep the FCC from feeling tricked. Even though the HoverAir Versa did make it through the FCC on August 9th, we confirmed, that approval was for a camera, not a drone. The Chinese company, Zero Zero Robotics, told the FCC’s agent the camera shouldn’t be blocked because Zero Zero isn’t on the FCC’s Covered List for cameras — which is true.
周三我曾提到，给相机装上翅膀恐怕不足以成为规避 FCC 监管的漏洞，也不足以让 FCC 不感到被“戏弄”。尽管 HoverAir Versa 确实在 8 月 9 日通过了 FCC 的审核，但我们确认，该批准仅针对相机，而非无人机。这家中国公司——零零无限（Zero Zero Robotics）曾向 FCC 的代理人表示，该相机不应被封锁，因为零零无限不在 FCC 的相机“受限清单”上——这一点确实属实。
But all companies are automatically on the FCC’s covered list for drones and critical drone components, and the FCC explicitly defines cameras as one of those components.
但所有公司在无人机及关键无人机组件方面都会自动进入 FCC 的受限清单，而 FCC 已明确将相机定义为这些组件之一。
If HoverAir’s camera authorization is now rejected, it won’t just be the “Flight Kit” accessory that it can’t import, market, or sell in the United States. The camera portion won’t be legal, either, as it needs FCC authorization too.
如果 HoverAir 的相机授权现在被驳回，那么不仅是“飞行套件”配件无法在美国进口、营销或销售，连相机部分也将不再合法，因为它同样需要 FCC 的授权。
Currently, HoverAir’s Indiegogo page no longer shows the “Flight Kit” as a selectable option to people browsing from the US, but it does still market it, and backers can order the camera portion. When I use a VPN to change my internet address to Canada, combos that include the Flight Kit suddenly appear.
目前，从美国访问 HoverAir 的 Indiegogo 页面时，“飞行套件”已不再是可选选项，但页面仍在推广该产品，且支持者仍可订购相机部分。当我使用 VPN 将网络地址切换到加拿大时，包含飞行套件的组合选项便会突然出现。
That won’t help US residents buy one, though. In the Indiegogo comments section, one backer who already ordered the camera wrote: “When looking at my pledge, it shows that they can’t ship to my address.”
不过，这对美国居民购买该产品并无帮助。在 Indiegogo 的评论区，一位已经订购了相机的支持者写道：“查看我的订单时，显示他们无法运送到我的地址。”
HoverAir did not immediately respond to a request for comment. We’ve asked the company whether it will commit to refunds more quickly this time around — when the brand failed to obtain certification for the waterproof HoverAir Aqua last December, it spent months telling backers it would ship as soon as possible rather than revealing the truth.
HoverAir 没有立即回应置评请求。我们已询问该公司此次是否会承诺更迅速地进行退款——去年 12 月，当该品牌未能获得防水版 HoverAir Aqua 的认证时，他们曾花费数月时间告诉支持者会尽快发货，而不是披露真相。
I tried to speak to the FCC about what’s going on, but once again, an agency spokesperson refused to go on the record.
我曾尝试就此事联系 FCC，但该机构的发言人再次拒绝发表正式评论。