Unmanned
Aerial Systems: The Wave of the Future, for Better or Worse
Development of unmanned systems is progressing forward
at a rapid pace. The market is exploding with new models in the air, ground,
and maritime domains. Flying drones, both commercial and hobby, are becoming
cheaper and more available; ground drones are being used as delivery systems;
and maritime drones are entering military service in both combat and
search-and-rescue roles. However, although drone technology is exploding in all
domains, it is the unmanned aerial systems, or UASs, that will be the dominant
drones of the future. And they will be dominant because of two key words:
versatility and range.
UASs are the most versatile of all the drone types on
the market. For example, one look at the H Robotics website (http://www.hrobotics.co.uk/index.html)
shows that they offer their drone in nine different configurations, including
broadcasting, surveying, and gas leak monitoring. Professional photographers
use drones to take images that would be either prohibitively expensive or
outright impossible without UAVs (Bernstein, 2015). Search and rescue units are
using drones to locate missing persons (Hodapp, 2015). The list goes on.
Unmanned ground systems (UGSs) and unmanned maritime systems (UMSs) can also be
used in a variety of roles, but none are as encompassing as the UAVs.
UAVs also have the biggest range, by far. UGVs are
limited to operating on the ground and UMVs are limited to operating in water.
However, UAVs can affect all three domains. UAVs can be used for search and
rescue operations over water as much as over land; they can be used for
deliveries to ground locations; and they can go farther and faster than either
of the other two types of unmanned systems.
I think UAVs will have the greatest impact on society
over the next two decades. UAVs are the most popular, most common, and most
well-known drones on the market. They can be seen in every toy store, and more
and more companies are using them for commercial purposes. I think they will be
most commonly used in a photography/videography/surveillance role, since we as
a society love taking and sharing images.
What impact will this have? I believe it will have a
similar impact to that of smartphones. The smartphone was (and is) a
world-changing device, because it gives users the ability to take high-quality
images and videos and share them instantly with the rest of the world. This has
eroded privacy, but it has also uncovered injustice and led to the exposure of
serious issues that would otherwise never come to light. I believe UAVs will do
the same thing. The ability of these drones to take high-resolution pictures
from virtually any angle will lead to more and more people living their lives
in a sort of fishbowl, constantly mindful of the fact that someone is watching.
This is bad for privacy but good for justice and law enforcement. It’s a
double-edged sword.
Ultimately, I think UAVs will be the most impactful because
they most closely align with human nature. For whatever reason, people love to
take pictures and observe each other. UAVs make that possible more than any
other unmanned system, which is why they will be the most impactful drone in the
future.
References
Bernstein, B. (2015). Top 3 best drones for drone photography and 4K video. Retrieved
from
surveillance/
Hodapp, P. (2015). Search
and rescue teams aim to save lives with off-the-shelf drones.
off-the-shelf-drones/
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