RP117 The Eye in the Sky

 RP117 The Eye in the Sky

How cool would it be to have a flying robot? What's the first thing you would do with it? Maybe send it into battle, or use it to spy on your neighbors? Well, this is not just a fantasy anymore. Drones are remote-controlled flying robots, and they are getting more popular every day. But is this a good thing for society?

The popularity of drones has exploded in recent years as technology has improved and gotten cheaper. A standard drone with a high-quality camera and four helicopter propellers now sells online for just a few hundred US dollars. Drones are extremely useful for making videos because their cameras link directly to phones or tablets. Nowadays, anyone can get professional-looking fly-by shots from unique angles.

But could this cause problems? Because drones are so affordable, it means that anyone can send a robot flying around the neighborhood. People might be surprised to find a camera floating outside their window. This should be a huge concern for people who care about their privacy.

Many governments also invest in drones, but for very different reasons. The United States uses military drones for spying. Its most powerful drones, however, are Predator drones, which can fly higher than 15,000 meters at over 300 kilometers per hour. And no, they don't just take pretty videos. A predator drone can hold 360 kilograms worth of bombs, enough to completely destroy an enemy camp. The soldier controlling the drone sits safely away from the action, so it's impossible to know for sure who is getting killed. Innocent people might be in danger.

Drones are a very new technology and people are still exploring their possible uses. Maybe someday you' ll come up with a new cool way to use your own remote-controlled robot.

*The MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B), a kind of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the American government