Drones are unmanned aircraft. They were first developed by the US military for surveillance and are now also used to attack enemy targets. As technology has improved, smaller, more affordable drones have been developed. They are a very useful technology due to their size and their ability to carry sophisticated equipment. Drones are used in many different areas. They are currently being used to study storms and hurricanes in America as an alternative to using manned aircraft. They are used to conduct aerial surveys of sites and to produce 3D images and maps. They are also being used to study and protect wildlife as they can be flown above wildlife without the disturbance of a helicopter. Drones are also being used in agriculture to identify areas that need water and fertiliser, etc. In Canada drones fitted with heat-sensing equipment have been used in search and rescue operations.
Questions 1. Can drones be described as technology? Explain your answer. 2. Identify three ways in which drones benefit humans. 3. Explain the advantage of using drones to monitor and study wildlife. 4. How may drones make agriculture more productive? 5. Can you name any other areas where drones would be useful? 6. Identify potential difficulties that widespread use of drones could cause.
Fig. 18 A Falcon UAV drone being launched as part of research by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) into the use of unmanned aircraft in the fight against illegal animal poaching.
