How cool would it be to have a flying robot? What's the first thing you would do with it? Maybe send it into war or use it to watch your neighbors secretly? Well this is not just a fantasy anymore. Drones are emote-controlled flying robots, and they are getting more popular every day. But is this a good thing for society?
The popularity of drones has increased in recent years as technology has improved and got cheaper. A civil (民用的) drone with a high-quality camera and four helicopter propellers now sells online for just a few hundred US dollars. Drones are r e aly useful for making videos because their cameras can be connected directly to phones or computers. Nowadays, anyone can get professional-looking fly-by pictures from different places.
But could this cause problems? Because drones aren't so expensive it means that anyone can send a robot flying around the neighborhood. People might be surprised to find a camera flying outside their window. This should be a terrible worry for people who care about their privacy.
Many governments also spend a lot of money on drones, but for very different reasons. The United States uses military (军事) drones for wars. Its most powerful drones, however, are predator drones, which can fly higher than 15. 000 meters at over 300 kilometers per hour. And no, they don't just take pretty videos, A predator drone can hold 360 kilograms of bombs (炸弹), enough to completely break down an enemy camp. The man controlling the drone sits safely away from the action, so it's impossible to know for sure who is getting killed. Common people might be in danger.
Drones are new-born inventions with a new technology. People are still discovering their possible uses, and maybe someday you'll come up with a new cool way to use your own remote-controlled robot.
