UAVs and UGVs aren’t just built for the attack. They have started to become part of the defense portion of the military as well. Officers in the National Guard have started learning how to operate drones in some sections of the United States. They are there to protect us just as much as they are to rid us of our enemies.
Drones don’t just have military applications. They can be used in everyday life. Some postal services are starting to use drones to deliver mail across the country. Fire departments sometimes use drones to search a burning building before entering. The point trying to be made is that contrary to popular belief, drones are a good thing. They could help make your lives better in a lot of different ways. Transportation, industry, and agriculture are all possible areas in which this sort of technology could really make a difference.
One of the foremost research organizations when it comes to drone research and advancement is VisLab. They work with companies in Europe, America, and Asia on these advancements (VisLab). A few of the topics they primarily do work in as far as intelligent and automated equipment go are automotive, defense, surveillance, industrial, and agricultural. VisLab has helped develop some of the most widely used automated machines in these areas, most of which are not military based. Organizations like these are working for a better world and not just a better army. One of the biggest questions with drone technology, besides it’s morality, is “How far should we take it?” Thats a good question. One that many people have asked. Growing up in a time where movies like iRobot and Terminator are part of society in popular culture. These movies were purely fiction, but they are possible outcomes with too much technological advancement in the area of artificial intelligence. If we make it to where drones can think on their own, they might in fact turn against us. Granted the odds of that happening are slim to none, but it still makes some think that a human presence must always be apparent when operating these machines. Otherwise something like that could happen and nobody wants Will Smith and Linda Hamilton to have to save the world. Due to the fact that a pilot is not directly inside of the plane, a lot of people think that they might see it