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Drones Are Everywhere

Many of us might think that drones are modern inventions, but in fact, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as they were called until 1935, have been around for over a century. The first vehicles, without any crew or passengers, were either attached to a plane or were operated by radio control. Soldiers used them in wars. Nowadays, drones may have a computer on board to guide them or be operated by remote control. Although armies and the police still use them to collect images and information, lots of businesses and ordinary people now also own them. In the USA alone, there are hundreds of thousands of drones registered.

With the number of drones growing so fast, new international and national regulations have been introduced to control their use. Not all countries follow the same rules, so it is important to check in advance if you are taking your drone to use in another country. There are usually restrictions on flying near airports or in cities. If you have an accident with your drone and cause injury to another person, you are responsible, so having insurance is essential. Making videos or taking photos of people and sharing them on social media is against the law, so make sure you have permission.

Fifteen years ago, many of us might never have seen a drone. The images of events we saw were probably recorded or certainly very limited because the cameras could only move in horizontal or vertical lines. Nowadays, you might well see a drone above you at a live event like a concert, festival, race or competition. Many of the scenes in famous action and science-fiction films have been filmed using drones. It's a lot cheaper than in the past when directors had to hire a helicopter to film them. Keeping an eye on endangered animals is also a lot easier without visiting the area where they live. Farmers on huge sheep farms can locate their animals before setting off on their tractors. Soon, they might even be able to bring their animals back home using their drones.

Drones allow scientists to explore areas of the planet that are difficult or dangerous to access, for example, when a volcano is erupting or after an earthquake. A drone can tell them when it's safe for humans to approach the scene, and it can also help in mountain rescue operations by locating missing hikers, climbers, swimmers, and surfers who are in trouble.

Research into other uses of drones continues. Can you imagine opening the front door and having your online purchases delivered by drone? It might not have reached you yet, but experiments with this service are taking place. Would you enjoy being picked up by a drone taxi and transported to your destination? The fact is that we will see a lot more drones in a lot more places in the future!