The future of drone technology
Luca Franchi
Drones, formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are airborne robots that are either remotely controlled or flown autonomously using advanced flight software algorithms in conjunction with global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and onboard sensors. 1 Interest in drones has been growing rapidly over the last few years but the drone dates back a hundred years to Nikola Tesla, an inventor famous for his work in wireless power transmission, alternating current and so much more. He introduced remote control technology in 1898. Right from the birth of this technology, he appreciated its huge military potential, noting that it would ‘ lead to permanent peace between the nations ’ because it would be a such a destructive deterrent. 2 Recently, drone usage has become very common and is used across many industries. To name a few; UAVs are used in filmmaking, site surveying, firefighting and precision agriculture. 3 The list truly goes on and is growing by the day, but perhaps one of the most widely known use of drones is its military use. Just as Tesla predicted, the military applications of this technology are endless and destructive. Large UAVs can be mounted with sensors, cameras, thermal imaging devices, trackers and, of course, weapons. One of the most crucial applications of drone technology today is their use in war zones. They are often used as a means of reconnaissance of unknown areas and enemy tracking, broadcasting live video to ground troops and thus protecting their lives. Ultimately, in any situation inwhich themilitary can avoid the risk of harm to humans, a UAV will be used. However, drones often form a more active, aggressive part of the force too, when mounted with weapons such as missiles or machine guns. The Pentagon states that airstrikes by the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State had killed at least 1,257 civilians in Syria and Iraq by the end of January this year whilst AirWars, a university-based monitoring group estimates at least 7,500. 4 Owing to drones’ ability to kill terrorists without putting lives at risk, they have been the main weapon used in the fight against terrorism for over a decade. While they offer an antiseptic impression of combat on the home front, the true number of civilians killed is shrouded in secrecy 5 and President Trump has only added to this problem by allowing the CIA to keep the number of civilians that are killed in airstrikes outside of the Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian war zones secret. 6 Military drone use is a controversial topic and has sparked many debates regarding the ethics of their use.
1 https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/drone. 2 https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/spies/rise-drones.
3 https://www.dronezon.com/drones-for-good/what-are-drones-used-for-and-best-drone-uses/. 4 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/opinion/drones-civilian-casulaties-trump-obama.html. 5 An action plan on U.S. drone policy – recommendations for the Trump administration (Stimson) - https://www.stimson.org/sites/default/files/file- attachments/Stimson%20Action%20Plan%20on%20US%20Drone%20Policy.pdf. 6 https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2019-03-07/trump-tells-cia-dont-tell-world-about-dead- civilians.
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