Drones—the colloquial name for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—are in the news lately. Originally a godsend because they took humans out of combat situations—letting them strike from air-conditioned safety (drones in the Middle East were actually operated by military personnel in Nevada)—they’re becoming the new technological boogeyman.
To be sure, there are legitimate issues surrounding drones. Senator Rand Paul spoke for 12+ hours in a filibuster to bring awareness to the use of drones, specifically the question of whether or not the President has the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil. Drones with weapons, drones with cameras, drones that fly in commercial airspace, drones for private use, drones for police: It’s important to remember that the word “drone” doesn’t mean just one thing.
When I was a kid, the only drones we knew about were bees, so named because of their inability to act independently of the queen bee. And initially, that was the case with UAVs—they were remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs), basically glorified radio-controlled (RC) planes and helicopters. But the availability of small, light, low-power microcomputers and sensors has changed the picture.
Even without the navigational autonomy provided by GPS-assisted electronic brains, equipping a drone with cameras for surveillance and weapons for, well, attacking things, changes the picture dramatically. And the final complication is whether a drone is operating in the United States, another country or a theatre of war. Oh, and did I mention that you can build one in your garage for cheap? Check out DIYdrones.com (DIY meaning “do it yourself”), the “leading community for personal UAVs.” Even simpler, just go to Amazon.com and search for “drone.” You’ll find a range of options, from under $100 to more than $3,000 (weapons not included).
For my readers who live in Sonoma County, the controversy (such as it is) strikes closer to home. Kunde Family Estate has introduced “Vino the Drone” to the world, a quad-copter with a camera that flies over the Kunde vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. Is Vino a threat or a menace? The Press Democrat contends: “Under current federal aviation rules, using unmanned aircraft—what commonly are referred to as drones—for commercial purposes is prohibited in the United States.” On the other hand, is making a video tour of your own vineyards from the air a “commercial purpose?” As with most things, no one knows until someone hauls you into court and a judge makes the call.
(By the way, with or without drones, I highly recommend the mountaintop wine tasting at Kunde during spring or summer. It’s a great place to take guests or a special friend. Tell Dick Perman, the tasting room manager, that I sent you!)
You can buy your own copy of Vino the Drone, the DJI Phantom Aerial Drone Quadcopter, on Amazon.com for just $679. You’ll have to add a GoPro camera to it if you want to take aerial videos—the Phantom comes with a GoPro camera mount already in place. The $300 GoPro Hero2 camera is the darling of the extreme sport world—you’ll see them mounted on the helmets and vehicles of skateboarders, skiers and motorcycle stuntmen. YouTube is full of the resulting first-person videos. For less than $1,000, you too can conduct quasi-legal aerial surveillance of your own neighborhood.
Let’s say it’s OK if you want to take pictures of your own property from the air. What about taking aerial pictures of your neighbor’s property? Of your neighbor sunbathing (or smoking pot) by the pool? What about taking pictures from your UAV hovering outside your neighbor’s window? As you can see, the slope gets slippery pretty fast. And while using drones for surveillance may not be legal for private individuals, it appears to be completely legal for police or other government authorities. In February, the Sheriff’s Department in Alameda County pitched the Board of Supervisors on the idea of acquiring two $50,000 surveillance drones. Technically, the sheriff only needs FAA approval to acquire a drone—the pitch was to get the county to accept available Homeland Security funds to offset the cost. The board made no decision. Alameda would be the first county in California to have a police drone. In contrast, at least one Texas sheriff already has a 50-pound ShadowHawk drone, which can be equipped with a grenade launcher and a shotgun.
Aside from the legality of drone-based surveillance and weaponry, there’s also the simple matter of safety. Piloted aircraft are required to “see and avoid” other aircraft, but a drone pilot’s ability to do so is limited by the relatively narrow view of the drone’s camera. In March, an Alitalia flight on approach to JFK came within 200 feet of what was described as a three-foot-wide, black quad-copter flying at an altitude of about 1,500 feet. With more powerful radios (or even operating autonomously), it’s easy for drones to operate beyond the line-of-sight control that applies to model planes and helicopters, with a concomitant increase in the chances of hitting something unintentionally.
The really cool drones, though, are autonomous—capable of acting on their own without human pilots. If you’re interested, just Google “quadcopter swarm” for videos of what they can do. The technology is cheap and easily within the grasp of a smart teenager. Be sure to check out TacoCopter.com (“flying robots deliver tacos to your location”) for an idea of the possibilities of small, self-directed flying machines.
Alas, it’s unlikely that Mary’s Pizza Shack will be dropping off pizzas in my driveway via drone anytime soon. The problem is power: Although small, efficient electric motors, more energy-dense batteries and lightweight materials have made it possible to build these tiny aircraft, they still can’t lift very much or for very long.
Nevertheless, it’s likely that drones are here to stay. Batteries will improve, as will collision avoidance (hell, we already have self-driving cars). It’s all part of the robotification of the world, where mundane tasks (like food delivery) become the province of robots rather than humans. Remember, as William Gibson says, the future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.
