Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are starting to be more commonplace. While there are many ways they can be scary, drones can be deployed in lots of helpful ways, as well as just for entertainment. Here are a few of the ways drones are used today.

1. The Most Amazing
Examples Of Drones
In Use Today:
From Scary To
Incredibly Helpful

2. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Title
Text
IntroductionIntroduction
Drones, aircraft that are remotely or autonomously piloted with no human
onboard, are used in many ways from a hobbyist who flies a $25 drone
around for fun on the weekends to a multimillion-dollar military drone that’s
becoming a critical part of missions. Also known as unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs), drones aren’t by default dystopian. While there are scary uses of
drones, there are many ways they can be incredibly helpful and fun.
The Most Amazing Examples Of Drones In Use
Today: From Scary To Incredibly Helpful

3. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
We got a peek into the dangers of drones when the president of Venezuela was the victim of
what appeared to be an assassination attempt by drone. While he was giving a speech, two
armed drones exploded nearby. There are many ways drones are utilized in military
operations from gathering intelligence, to reconnaissance activities, and from acting as a
decoy to lethal weapons used in combat.
The United States was the first to use armed drones after 9/11 specifically against suspected
terrorists, but since then several other countries including Iran, Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab
Emirates and the United Kingdom have also used armed drones in combat. There are many
other countries that are known to have armed drones but haven’t yet used them in combat.
Terrorist and rebel groups have also used them. The growth of armed drones worldwide
certainly adds a level of complexity for national security.
Scariest Use of Drones

4. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Another use of drones that could be incredibly frightening or intriguing depending on your
perspective is an AI-powered drone “swarm.” Just like social insects such as bees, ants or
termites, a drone swarm is when multiple drones (sometimes hundreds) act in unison and
communicate with one another to achieve a goal. Very powerful when joining together to
fight for good, but in the wrong hands, a drone swarm could be devastating.
Scariest Use of Drones

5. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
On the opposite end of the spectrum from assassination, drones are UAVs that help support
humans in times of need. Here are a few examples of helpful drones:
Helpful Uses of Drones
Drones are utilized during natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes or
floods to find survivors as well as in other search-and-rescue missions in harsh conditions
where every minute counts. Using a drone to understand the situation from a bird’s eye view
and finding the location of those that need rescuing is helpful when creating a rescue plan
and to identify who is in trouble. Researchers at the University of Zurich made a foldable
drone designed to be used in disaster zones that can alter its shape to get through cracks and
small spaces, which could help rescue missions be more efficient.
Search and Rescue

6. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
Drones can be beneficial as initial first responders to access a situation so officers in the
command center can dispatch more resources if necessary and even record video that can be
used as evidence in court. In the testing of drones as first responders by the Chula Vista Police
Department, one of the 100 largest cities in the United States, drones are deployed for a large
number of scenarios and for the most part can get there before the officers do. The Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society also uses drones to catch poachers in the act on the open
ocean. Illegal logging operations can also be tracked with drones.
Law Enforcement

7. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
Not only do drones help firefighters gather vital information that can help create a fire-
fighting strategy when battling a blaze and investigate the cause of fires, but there's even a
fire-fighting drone that can withstand extreme heat and reach great heights to fight fire.
Drones with thermal cameras can help find trapped people in burning structures who need
rescue. In forest fires, a drone with thermography can discover hot spots not visible to the
naked eye that could erupt if no action is taken.
Fire Fighting

8. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
In remote areas of civilization, such as parts of Rwanda and Ghana, drones have been used to
deliver blood and medical supplies. Rwanda was the first country to use drones for blood
delivery, and the country's success in using the technology has inspired others such as
Tanzania to also use drones to deliver medical supplies. Globally, often due to the terrain and
lack of infrastructure, more than 2 billion people lack access to medical supplies that drones
could deliver to save lives.
Deliver Blood and
Medical Supplies

9. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
From creating 3D maps of archaeological sites to preserve data for future generations to
mapping forests to help with conservation, drones are able to capture a lot of data at once
that can be critical for archaeologists and conservationists to do their work efficiently. They
also offer a cost-effective solution for mapping projects of all kinds.
Mapping

10. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
Drones make it much easier to keep tabs and collect data on vast amounts of agriculture
space. From diseases to weeds, getting timely data and analyzing it can help farms be more
productive. This becomes more important as the urgency to get more food from fewer
resources increases.
Agriculture

11. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Helpful Uses of Drones
Would you hail a drone to get to your destination? That’s the hope of several companies
actively working on passenger drones. Populous cities with traffic issues are the first to offer
their cooperation to companies who are quite close to solving the engineering, mechanical,
safety and regulatory challenges of the technology. In fact, Dubai is planning to have a
commercial drone service up and running this year.
Sometimes drones are used purely for fun. From taking photos to cinematography, drones are
changing the way of entertainment. And, thanks to a partnership between Lockheed Martin
and The Drone Racing League, we may soon have self-driving drone races.
Passenger Drones

12. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

13. Title
Subtitle
Be the FIRST to receive news,
articles, insights and event
updates from Bernard Marr & Co
straight to your inbox.
Signing up is EASY! Simply fill out
the online form and we’ll be in
touch!
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved

14. BernardMarr
hello@bernardmarr.com
www.bernardmarr.com