User:BrianT02/sandbox/Brian T Drones

Introduction

Drones have recently been growing very popular with people and businesses. A drone is a small unmanned aerial vehicle that can do many different things for us that makes our lives easier. Drones, also called quadcopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can be controlled by remote control and can be equipped with sensors and cameras. They can reach certain places and heights that a person cannot and can do tasks in a more efficient manner. Drones come in both civilian and military versions. Drones have recently been in the headlines for both good and bad reasons. Some problems with drones include losing control, criminal usage, and privacy.

Current Use

Today, drones are used for recreation, commercial, and military purposes. Recreational use includes aerial photography, and making videos while business use includes surveying land, 3d mapping landscapes and terrain, spraying crops for agriculture, inspecting or photographing a building for real estate, delivering packages and food for stores and restaurants, surveillance, and security. The military uses drones to scan for targets, launch airstrikes and missiles, and do reconnaissance on an area.

Security Aspects

While drones have many great benefits, they can also be used to harm people, businesses, and places. According to Ryver (2016), there many scenarios where drones were flying over places they should not be, such as nuclear facilities, drones being stolen that can be used to playback footage, eavesdropping, flying and crashing into buildings, cars, or people, and disrupting air space. There’s also software that allows drones to have night vision and infrared so they can monitor military bases, government buildings, and other high-profile buildings.

Ethical and Social Problems

On top of security issues, drones also have their share of ethical and social problems. One big concern with drones is privacy. Drones can fly basically anywhere the user wants them to, but does that mean they can fly over people’s homes?

According to Hunter (2015):

The issues are centered upon an individual's right to own and fly a UAV in relation to other individual's right to privacy in the form of trespassing and other forms of privacy invasion. An individual's home is typically viewed as the ultimate private property, although according to the Supreme Court it is considered "a semi-private area which is afforded special protection". Drones which enter into the area of a particular home (including hovering in the vicinity) may be seen as nuisances and subject to a higher level of transgression in the context of privacy invasion.

Future Use

Drones have provided recreation and helped people in many different industries but there is so much more they can do for us. We are only scratching the surface on drone technology and use. For example, here is an idea of what drone technology could look like in the future:

According to Joshi (2017): “Complete commercial suitability, fully compliant safety and regulatory standards-based design, platform and payload interchangeability, automated safety modes, enhanced intelligent piloting models and full autonomy, full airspace awareness, auto action (takeoff, land, and mission execution) The next generation of drones, Generation 7, is already underway, as 3DRobotics announced the world’s first all-in-one Smart Drone called Solo. Smart drones with built-in safeguards and compliance tech, smart accurate sensors, and self-monitoring are the next big revolution in drone technology that would provide new opportunities in transport, military, logistics, and commercial sectors.”