If there is one technology that has been quickly adopted by the general public, it is that of drones. Not a month goes by without these flying machines appearing in the news and the diversity of applications never ceases to amaze.
The drone has become a common leisure object, and the Frenchman Parrot, a pioneer in the field, initially had several great successes. However, it had to reckon with the appearance of competitors like the Chinese DJI, current world leader with bestsellers like the Mavic range. With the featherweight Anafi which captures 4K images, Parrot hopes to resume colors. However, some major players would be preparing to step into the dance like Apple or Tesla, and we can imagine what their impact would be on this market.
The rise of drones to the general public has become a matter of concern, as when nuclear center have been the subject of a flyover. In Japan, nets are used to catch uncontrolled gear, while in the United States, they are shot down without warning. The Dutch police have found an original parade: Eagles trained to capture these intruders in mid-flight! In France, legislation was defined in October 2016 and it singularly restricted the field of uses: prohibition of flying over an individual, near protected areas such as airports, obligation to undergo training as soon as the weight of the drone exceeds 800 grams … The penalties are severe and go as far as imprisonment.
The range of services is increasing
Some offer in particular to film your wedding seen fromplane, others to supervise the harvests like the breeding. Amazon and others like DHL have been seriously considering parcel delivery for ages. In South Africa, these winged accessories are relied on to curb the infamy of poachers who prey on rhinoceros.
Drones, it must be admitted, are also entrusted with inglorious missions: if Saudi Arabia, victim of a veto by the United States, has placed an order for Pterodactyl with the Chinese firm Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, it is with the objective of eliminating Yemeni targets. However, it is not at all demonstrated that these blind shooters would be able to distinguish civilians and soldiers.
According to the FAA, which regulates air traffic in the United States, seven million drones (commercial and recreational) will be sold in 2020, almost three times more than in 2016 (2.5 million)! Suffice to say that we will have to get used to seeing a sky populated by these flying objects of a new kind.
In this dossier, we wanted to present the incredible diversity of applications now entrusted to drones: excavation assistance archaeological, flying over planets unfriendly to humans, personal transportation … And we also wanted to highlight some unexpected forms to say the least. We have not finished being surprised.
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