No I'm not talking about military drones. I'm, talking about civilian owned remote operated robots. These machines are the same variety that the military uses, but are allowed to be bought for civilian use.
Benefits: Some benefits to owning a robot that can fly is that it can literally go anywhere you need it to go. Farmers are interested so that they can monitor their fields from home and thus save time and money as traditional aircraft are expensive to use and maintain. These same drones can also be used to spread pesticides and other materials over fields. Fire fighters fighting wildfires can use drones equipped with thermal cameras to locate areas where the fires may still be smoldering. Reporters can get that bird’s eye view they always dreamed of at reduced costs. Fast food may even get faster as drones can be used to deliver your order directly to your home (no need for tips). The applications are endless so long as you can find a use for a flying robot. But none of this is really new as hobbyists have had model planes for years and they are now being used for enjoyment outside of recreation. What I have described however is only the advantages of aerial based platforms. Drones come in land and sea versions too. Who knows, we might even start to get them for space too (hobbyists keep on the lookout). A drone has a lot of advantages, but there is one sticking point.
Problem: There are two key issues. The first is issues with privacy. A drone can literally see over anyone’s fence or into a window (air based drones can at the very least). So it comes to question where do our privacy end and the public space where drones are allowed to operate begin. This is a legal question that groups like the ACLU are trying to answer to ensure that nobody losses their privacy rights to anyone. The other issue is terrorism and espionage. We do not live in a very safe world and drones can be turned into small flying bombs to rain hell literally from above. Same of course goes for sea and land based drones. Espionage is fairly obvious as drones used by the military are used for surveillance and just adding a camera to a model aircraft turns it into a spy platform. So expect some restricted airspace.
Conclusion: Technology has advanced very far. But as that technology has progressed, our privacy has shrunk by leaps and bounds. Drones, especially air based ones have numerous advantages and help cut costs for a lot of people with respect to certain industries and government institutions. Will laws stop people from abusing these devices? No, as people will always abuse technology. However, drones will soon find there niche in our society and of course by then we will have anti drone devices (celebrities) to shoot them down when they decide to look into your window, or we can just sue them. What ever works right?
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