This blog has documented many of the purposes for which drones have been used. Sometimes, drones seem to be the best solution to a given problem. Other times, drones seem to be the best solution in search of a problem.
Here are some more drone applications to ponder.
There have been many reports of drones being shot at by people who believe they are being spied on. An article in Slate by Faine Greenwood explains why shooting at drones is both misguided and dangerous.
The first reason is that shooting at drones endangers everyone in the vicinity. There is a chance that the drone, if damaged, may collide with someone on the ground. There is also a chance that stray or falling ammunition may hit somebody.
Jevons' Paradox concerns how increases in efficiency can lead to increases—rather than decreases—in consumption of resources. Designers expend a great deal of brainpower and passion on increasing the efficiency of their designs. The goal is often to decrease consumption of a resource, as a way of improving overall sustainability. In brief, the reasoning is that if a given task can be completed with fewer resources, then those resources will be conserved.
A recent edition of The Economist has two articles that make mention of drones. Semi-autonomous vehicles will certainly change things. But, will they change everything that their promoters claim?
Perhaps the earliest suggestion that consumer drones were about to take off in a big way was the "tacocopter", the little drone brings people tacos from above. The idea exploded onto the Web in 2012 with the product launch.
When people think of delivery drones, they likely picture a small aircraft bringing them some tacos or the laundry soap they forgot at the store. Of course, drones can also be used to deliver things for people whose needs are much more basic.