CNN: Meet your friendly neighborhood drones! [View all]

[n2doc]

How drones will change your life
By Daisy Carrington and Jenny Soffel, for CNN


(CNN) -- Apart from what they do for the military; drones have already proven themselves capable sheep herders, delivery boys, tour guides, filmmakers, archaeologists, and -- possibly -- spies.

The global economic potential of these machines is astounding; a recent study estimated the worldwide market for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at $89 billion in 2013.

Proponents are eager to point out the many ways they're going to make our lives better.

"Really, this technology is an extra tool to help an industry be more effective," says Gretchen West, the executive vice president for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

"With precision agriculture, for example, it can take pictures of fields so farmers can identify problems they wouldn't necessarily see walking through the fields. In law enforcement, you could find a child lost in the woods more easily than walking through a field, particularly if there's bad weather or treacherous ground."

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http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/03/business/meet-your-friendly-neighborhood-drones/index.html