D RO N ES Waiting for takeoff
The commercial and even recreational potential of drones is becoming more apparent
rug smugglers in Mexico trusted a drone — a small, unmanned flying machine — to transport 3 kg of methamphetamine into the US last week. But it crashed in a parking lot on the wrong side of the border, attracting the attention of authorities.
US media reports say a drone was previously used to smuggle phones, drugs and tobacco into a prison.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration noted that drones carrying drugs have illegally crossed the US-Mexico border at least 150 times since 2012, and that cartels are customising their own drugsmuggling drones, says a US publication, Popular Science. or robots. They have the potential to fundamentally change the nature of work. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be controlled remotely by an individual on the ground, by another aircraft or through an on-board computer system.
They are controversial because of the role they can play in spying on citizens or even on governments.
But robots are increasingly being used to perform tasks that would normally be done by people. Information technology research company Gartner describes a world where refrigerators will order groceries automatically, robots will have them collected and drones will Drone Many uses but no regulation yet deliver them to your door, eliminating the need for grocery store staff and delivery drivers.
Farmers believe they will be able to use drones to survey crops, herd cattle, apply pesticides, count fish, and even take an animal’s temperature. For the moment, most governments won’t allow that.
International Consumer Electronics Association’s Karen Chupka says drones can assist with aerial coverage for sports and real estate, and could help to assess problems in disasterhit areas.
However, global consulting firm Deloitte says it is unlikely that 2015 will be a “breakthrough year for drones”. Still, it says the sale of drones — they cost at least US$200 — could reach 300 000 units this year.