Buzz
While drones are often linked to military applications, their presence in everyday life is growing rapidly. They are fulfilling a variety of roles across the military, commercial, public, and civilian industries. With their increasing affordability and accessibility, drones are now more within reach. At public events with large crowds, it's likely you've seen someone piloting their personal drone, capturing stunning aerial shots for social media.
As things become more widespread, new and innovative uses tend to emerge. And without a doubt, some individuals are pushing the boundaries with drones in fascinating and sometimes controversial ways.
10. Orville, The Drone Cat
A viral video recently resurfaced showing a taxidermied cat attached to a small drone. And no, we're not talking about a mere stuffed toy. This was a real cat that someone had preserved after its death, specifically for the purpose of strapping it to a drone and flying it.
Orville the cat was tragically struck by a car in 2012. His owner, Bart Jansen, named the cat after one of the Wright brothers. When Orville passed away, Jansen refused to let his pet rest in peace in the ground. Instead, he chose to have Orville preserved and mounted to a drone, allowing his cherished cat to soar through the skies.
Known as the “Orvillecopter,” the creation of Jansen's flying pet drew international attention. While many were horrified, others found it intriguing. The Orvillecopter was even featured at the KunstRai art festival in Amsterdam.
Since 2012, Jansen and his partner, engineer Arjen Beltman, have embarked on even larger projects. They built an ostrich drone in 2013 and are now working on a cow drone. Why they didn't opt for a flying pig drone remains a mystery to many.
9. Pokemon Go 'Cheater' Drones
When Pokemon Go took the world by storm in July 2016, it sparked an unintended consequence: Many people who weren't used to being active suddenly found themselves walking around town for hours, hunting for Pokemon.
However, one player wasn't keen on getting all that exercise. He attached an Android phone to a DJI Phantom drone and used a program called AirDroid to mirror the phone's screen onto his computer. This allowed him to remain seated while the drone did the work of finding and catching all the Pokemon in range.
Additionally, Dutch company TRNDlabs now offers the “Pokedrone,” a handheld controller that lets you place your phone into it, controlling a small drone. The drone's camera displays live footage on your phone, and you interact with Pokemon by using the controller. It’s a stroke of genius… albeit a bit lazy, but genius nonetheless.
8. The Flamethrower Drone
In 2015, a teenager from Connecticut attached a handgun to a drone and fired it while the drone flew through the air. Fortunately, he wasn’t aiming at anyone, and no injuries occurred.
When the thrill of firing a gun from a drone didn’t quite satisfy his inventive spirit, the teen went a step further and rigged up a flamethrower onto the drone. The purpose? Just to roast a turkey, of course. What could possibly go wrong with a homemade flamethrower attached to a drone and flown by a teenage boy? The truly frightening part: The teen technically didn’t break any laws. There's no word on how the turkey turned out.
7. Fighter Pilots Commanding Drone Fleets
Drones have been part of military operations since World War II in one form or another. Today, they are so commonly used for surveillance and combat missions that the idea of them has become second nature. However, the US Air Force is planning to take things to the next level.
A new program in development aims to have fighter pilots control small fleets of drones flying nearby. These unmanned aircraft would assist the pilots in various tasks, from surveillance and reconnaissance to delivering weapons to hard-to-reach or perilous targets.
If you really want to stress yourself out, try imagining flying a fighter jet in the middle of combat while simultaneously managing a fleet of unmanned drones. Maybe the Air Force should first develop a cyborg super-pilot to handle all that.
6. Swarms of Micro Drones
For some time now, small drones camouflaged as insects or birds have existed. Their development is often attributed to secretive organizations such as the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is known for creating devices that are as bizarre (yet deadly) as something you might find in a James Bond film.
While micro drones have mostly been harmless, serving primarily for surveillance and reconnaissance, their potential for destruction is about to grow. This year, the Air Force revealed its 20-year flight plan for small, unmanned aerial systems, which includes a proposal for a concept they call “swarming.” Col. Brandon “BB” Baker, head of the Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft division, stated, “Swarming technology changes the game for future warfare.”
These swarms could be organized to target a single large objective or dispersed to engage multiple smaller targets. While larger, costlier drones like the Predator can be taken down with a single strike, a swarm could lose several drones and still regroup to remain effective—a concept the Air Force has dubbed “self-healing.”
5. Drone Racing Could Be The Next Big Sport
In July 2016, 100 student drone pilots took part in the first-ever Liberty Cup. What exactly is the Liberty Cup, you ask? It’s the northeast qualifier for the US National Drone Racing Championships.
The students had to research and build their own drones, a task that supporters believe complements and enhances the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education offered in schools. The pilots wore “First Person View” goggles, giving them the feeling of racing through the course as they controlled their drones remotely. Sounds pretty incredible, right?
4. More Drones, Fewer Rules
Usually, as an industry expands, so do the rules and regulations that govern it. Apparently, that’s not the case with drones.
The FAA has recently taken steps to loosen restrictions on drone flights. These more relaxed rules, which will go into effect in August, are expected to have a significant impact on farmers and ranchers who rely on drones for crop surveying and tracking lost livestock. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems estimates that this type of usage could account for up to 80 percent of all drone activity. But did they factor in the Pokedrone when making these estimates?
3. Wildlife Conservation and Management
As mentioned earlier, ranchers are increasingly turning to drones to locate lost cattle, but they are also using them to guide the cattle back home. Professor John Church, an expert in cattle research at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, shares that he has used drones “like a flying border collie” to herd cattle. However, Church prefers a more discreet approach, hoping the cattle remain unaware of the drones monitoring them from above. This trend is becoming more common.
Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have begun utilizing drones to count calves in dolphin and whale pods around the Hawaiian Islands without disturbing the creatures. Drones offer an incredible opportunity for studying wildlife in their natural habitats in a non-intrusive way.
2. Drone Warships
In February 2016, Elbit, a defense company based in Israel, introduced a new unmanned boat called the Seagull. Its main job is to detect and neutralize underwater mines, and it handles the entire process from start to finish. But here’s the twist: It detects these mines by deploying small underwater drone submarines to search for them. Yes, this drone boat controls its very own fleet of tiny submarine drones... that go around blowing things up.
Militaries and private companies in various countries are exploring the concept of drone-operated ships. In late 2014, the US Navy ran an exercise in which remote operators controlled 13 boats simultaneously from a single command center. While these boats were mostly small vessels operating in Virginia’s James River, it was still a noteworthy achievement. Considering the rapid pace of technological advancement, it’s not too far-fetched to envision drone battleships in the near future.
1. The Anti-Drone Bazooka... For Civilians
Don’t let all those drones flying overhead make you uneasy. The folks over at SkyWall have developed a solution: the SkyWall 100 Drone Defense System.
The SkyWall 100 resembles a bazooka... sort of. But it's not exactly a bazooka. It’s closer to a giant air rifle that fires a net up to 100 meters (330 feet). While it’s unlikely to stop a Predator drone armed with Hellfire missiles, it poses a significant threat to many smaller drones commonly used by hobbyists.
SkyWall asserts that once a drone is captured in the net, it will safely float to the ground via parachute. Let’s hope that’s true. While it may occupy a legal gray area, if you damage someone’s drone by sending it crashing down tangled in a net, you could be held responsible for the damages.
