This summer, I had the opportunity to intern for a company called Textron Unmanned Systems, where I got to work with a variety of cutting edge civil, commercial and military technologies. One of the big sellers of the company is a Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) or “drone” called Aerosonde. If you want to learn the details about this awesome aircraft, you can visit the website!

When I started working for the company, I was a little skeptical about this product because drones are often associated with negative press, especially in the middle east with aerial strikes. We think about large and stealthy looking crafts with missiles strapped to them, but in reality, these technologies have a wide array of uses outside of defense. I want to focus this blog post on some of the interesting ways that drones are being used to help in the civil and commercial sectors. In it’s lifetime, Aerosonde has been used to help first responders during natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. In the case of wildfires, UAVs provide a safer and cheaper way to monitor large areas of land. Manned aircraft such as helicopters require a person to be placed in harms why by flying into high risk situations where visibility is low. NBC News published a story about how drones have significantly helped California with their wildfire issues when emergency helicopters were grounded due to smoke in the air. Another way that drones are helping create positive environmental change is by helping the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rescue whales that have been caught up in water pollution and rogue fishing nets. One of the most interesting stories that I heard while I was working for Textron Systems was how the NOAA used Aerosonde to fly into the eye of a hurricane, where they were able to capture weather metrics that had never before been possible. The researchers were so blown away by measurements being captured that they decided to purchase the aircraft on the spot so that they could fly it until failure!

Autonomous vehicles are a technology that continues to pop up in the mainstream media and in our everyday lives. Just like all new technology, there are good and bad aspects. I believe drones are creating some amazing new opportunities for society and will make life and work easier for all of us in the years to come. What do you guys think about these positive new uses for UAV technology? Let’s start a discussion!