Drones are About to Change Everything

GIF COURTESY OF AIROBIOTICS

Drones are changing the world as we know it. Also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle, a drone is an aircraft that doesn’t need a person on-board to pilot flight. The drones you are probably familiar with are operated by a human controller, but there are many that act autonomously via an onboard computer.

Though the soaring robots were originally meant for military practices—to do what was too dangerous for simple mortal beings—now their use is expanding, to do what is deemed too dull or dirty for us. Here are just a few examples of the many ways drones are changing our lives:

1. They could replace cars.

They’re called “quadcopters.” This may be the first time you read about the automobile hybrid, but it definitely won’t be your last. A fleet of self-flying drones, big enough to carry a person, are in development to make your hours-long commute into a minutes-long flight. Massachusetts tech company, Terrafugia, has invented a contraption is called Transition and its a small airplane that can fold its wings and drive streets. Now they just have to solve all those obvious safety concerns and you too can pilot your own flight.

2. They're delivering your necessities.

Amazon has bought two patents for drones who could potentially, eventually drive UPS and FedEx to extinction. Just this week, the company’s Prime Air drone made its first US delivery—a box of sunscreen—during its MARS 2017 conference at a Palm Springs, CA resort. Forget free two-day delivery. Once the new, specially-designed technology is approved for commercial use, it will deliver packages in 30 minutes or less, flying up to 50 miles per hour.

3. They're revolutionizing entertainment.

Have you ever seen movies that make you think: “How did they get those shots?” That feeling tends to come over us more often than ever and it’s all thanks to cameras strapped to drones. Filmmaker and founder of NYC Drone Film Festival, Randy Scott Slavin, said, ” It’s been pretty amazing to see how people have been shooting all over the world. They take these amazing tools, bring them to all these faraway places. They’re able to show us these crazy places from crazy vantage points.”

4. They're combatting international terrorism.

ISIS has been making headlines lately for using drones to bomb Iraq. If they can do that in Iraq, what is stopping them from bombing an open arena anywhere on earth? At least 70 heavyweights in Silicon Valley—spearheaded by Airspace Systems—are working on counter-drone technology that would fire a net to ground any terrorist’s drone.

5. They're saving us from death.

Drones are actually saving lives around the world. DJI, a chinese manufacturer, reported that their civilian-manned drones have saved at least 59 people around the world since 2013. In some cases they’ve been used to spot those who’ve been lost and in other cases they’ve dropped life-saving tools in emergency situations.

Drones are About to Change Everything