What are drones used for?

The California-based animal welfare group Mercy for Animals uses drones to document animal cruelty on commercial farms.

In January, a drone was used to save two swimmers in rough seas at Lennox Head, NSW. In a world-first rescue, the drone successfully dropped an inflatable life raft to them.

Drones have many scientific uses (see right). CSIRO, for example, uses drones to monitor crops and carry out beach surveys.