In the past few years, drones have been taking center stage. There’s been concerns about airspace safety and possible ethics issues regarding trespassing and national security. The federal government has eve placed new regulations on the sale and registration of these known flying aircrafts. Yet the mantra of the drone continues to be, “Advance, advance!” 2016 promises to offer even more on the drone front, and there’s been plenty of promise regarding the technology of drones in the next few years. The following list of drone enhancement definitely states, “These are in indeed the drones you are looking for!”
1. Oops I Forgot It Again Drone
Can’t seem to remember your keys? Keep forgetting your wallet at home? Do you need your phone attached to your hip with a chain? Instead of reminding yourself KPW (keys, phone or wallet), simply score yourself a machine that will retrieve anything you’ve forgotten! 2016 promises to deliver a drone that will deliver any item—as long as you have a friend or family member near your lost items. It’s like fetch with Fido—only better. Whenever you forget an item, send your drone to a specific set of coordinates. Call a nearby friend (or chat through drone software) to slide your item into a pouch or container located on your drone. Fly your drone to your location, and you’ll never need to remember a mnemonic device again.
2. Self-Flying Drones
Sure drones have proved to be pretty fun to fly. Yet wouldn’t it be nice if you could program a drone to do all the heavy lifting (or flying) for you? 2016 promises to be the year of the self-flying drone. No longer do you need to use a childish remote control to get your drone from Point A to Point B. Simply pre-program your drone to fly to your desired location. Then sit back, relax and enjoy the show from your drone’s camera. You can literally travel the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.
3. Fly Yourself Drone
If self-fly drones weren’t enough, what about a drone that will fly you around the world? Naturally, the next logical step to the self-flying drone and the drone that retrieves lost items is the drone that retrieves you. Imagine a world where your car breaks down on the side of the highway. Your cellphone is dead. There are no cars in sight. Yet wait! You have a drone! You can literally send for your drone to pick you up. Technically, you could have flown the drone in the first place—yet where’s the fun in that? The question on everyone’s mind is: How safe are these drones? Though it’s too soon to tell, we have one word of advice: You might want to consider types of insurance before you purchase your drone. Not only does this drone have the ability to carry humans short distances, it also has air conditioning and Wi-Fi.
4. Say Goodbye to Google Maps
Remember how excited you felt when you first realized you could see your childhood home from Google Earth? Drones have been upping the stakes on mapping technology—and social accountability. The ability to map previously uncharted areas is becoming easier than ever before. People in areas of the world like Kosovo, who were previously unable to prove their rights to certain areas of land, will now be able to afford mapping services at a reasonable price. Many of the owners of such land happen to be women. Krusa, an organization that was created to use drone resources to help such women, hopes to show the world the good that drone technology can achieve.
5. Human Tracking
Drones are also expected to make headways in human tracking. From overprotective parents to life insurance companies, drones will be utilized by any organization or individual who wants to keep an eye on someone else. Drones are expected to be taught facial recognition and voice recognition. They can already track information, like license plates. They can avoid flying into the path of obstacles without human help. They can even be controlled by gloves on human hands. The technology advancements even extend to Hollywood. Drones will be utilized in the movie industry (and have been used to some extent). We might even be buying tickets to see our first drone-directed movies in the near future. We might even see links between the Internet of Things like the Apple Watch and drones in the foreseeable future.
For now, the future of drones is uncertain. The federal government may be cracking down on drone use and registration, yet advancements on drone technology keep moving forward. It may not be too much longer until drones can do practically anything can humans can accomplish.