Drones: The New Way of War War is not what it used to be. Countries don’t load thousands of soldiers on ships and send them to fight thousands of soldiers in a foreign country anymore. Drones have slowly become the new face of how countries (primarily the United States) fight their wars. Soldiers still go into battle but they have the support of these machines as backup. UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) like the Predator Drone and the Reaper Drone rule the air being able to launch strikes at any target across the globe. This power to do so brings a mass of controversy to a worldwide table. Is it moral to use these drones? Should we stick to waging war with boots on the ground and soldiers in the sky? Drones provide protection from threats across the globe, save soldiers lives, and are helping to advance technologically in ways previously unthought of. Drones are a necessary part of the military. With these drones being remotely piloted from sometimes a thousand miles away, it removes the danger to the pilot flying the plane. It is argued that it is immoral to use these weapons of war due to the ability to strike any target we please, and that they are causing more terrorist groups to be formed than destroying them. There isn’t much of a difference between using a drone to destroy a bunker over using a F-16 or an AC-130 Gunship, other than there is no immediate threat to the pilot or crew. Another good point brought up often enough is why can’t other countries use drones to strike the United States? They can, but can’t that be said about every single other weapon ever made? How is that any different from enemies launching bombers or missile strikes at the US?
UAVs and UGVs aren’t just built for the attack. They have started to become part of the defense portion of the military as well. Officers in the National Guard have started learning how to operate drones in some sections of the United States. They are there to protect us just as much as they are to rid us of our enemies.
Drones don’t just have military applications. They can be used in everyday life. Some postal services are starting to use drones to deliver mail across the country. Fire departments sometimes use drones to search a burning building before entering. The point trying to be made is that contrary to popular belief, drones are a good thing. They could help make your lives better in a lot of different ways. Transportation, industry, and agriculture are all possible areas in which this sort of technology could really make a difference.
One of the foremost research organizations when it comes to drone research and advancement is VisLab. They work with companies in Europe, America, and Asia on these advancements (VisLab). A few of the topics they primarily do work in as far as intelligent and automated equipment go are automotive, defense, surveillance, industrial, and agricultural. VisLab has helped develop some of the most widely used automated machines in these areas, most of which are not military based. Organizations like these are working for a better world and not just a better army. One of the biggest questions with drone technology, besides it’s morality, is “How far should we take it?” Thats a good question. One that many people have asked. Growing up in a time where movies like iRobot and Terminator are part of society in popular culture. These movies were purely fiction, but they are possible outcomes with too much technological advancement in the area of artificial intelligence. If we make it to where drones can think on their own, they might in fact turn against us. Granted the odds of that happening are slim to none, but it still makes some think that a human presence must always be apparent when operating these machines. Otherwise something like that could happen and nobody wants Will Smith and Linda Hamilton to have to save the world. Due to the fact that a pilot is not directly inside of the plane, a lot of people think that they might see it