US drone programme taps Apple, passes over Amazon, China’s DJI

FILE PHOTO: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich talks about the new Yuneec Typhoon H drone, which he said was the first consumer drone equipped with Intel's RealSense sense and avoid technology, during his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, U.S., January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc soon will be capturing images of North Carolina by drone; a 1,500-pound, unmanned aircraft will look for mosquitoes in Florida; and startup Flirtey will fly medical equipment on drones to heart-attack victims in Nevada.

The projects are among 10 announced by the US Transportation Department on May 9 that will help it assess how to regulate drones and integrate them safely into US air space. The United States has lagged other countries in experimentation with drones, something the program hopes to correct.