Over the past three years, American unmanned aerial vehicles—or drones—have killed hundreds of people, both suspected terrorists and civilians, in Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. During that time, they’ve proved to be useful for situations where using ground soldier or manned planes is deemed too risky.
Now, drones come in all different shapes and sizes and can be used for a wide variety of tasks, such as surveillance, natural disaster monitoring, search-and-rescue, and border patrol. Government officials and companies have started to see the potential domestic uses for drones, and last year, Congress required the Federal Aviation Administration to devise rules to allow drones to operate in American skies.
PBS’s NOVA decided to take a look at the growth in drones, in a special titled, Rise of the Drones, which aired Thursday. U.S. News talked with producer Peter Yost about getting the American military to provide him access to their drone command centers, drone hobbyists, and where the whole trend is going. SOURCE
