Drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have no human pilot onboard, and instead are either controlled by a person on the ground or autonomously via a computer program. These stealth craft are becoming increasingly popular, not just for war and military purposes, but also for everything from wildlife and atmospheric research to disaster relief and sports photography. Drones are becoming the eyes and ears of scientists by surveying the ground for archaeological sites, signs of illegal hunting and crop damage, and even zipping inside hurricanes to study the wild storms. You can even rent a personal drone to soar above the horizon and snap a photo or video. Our news and features will cover developments in drone technologies, innovative uses for drones and how drone use will impact society.
Latest about drones
Drones could use 'robotic cat's eyes' to track targets more precisely than ever before
A new computer vision system inspired by the design of a feline eye could give future drones and other military robots the ability to track targets in low-visibility and dynamic environments.
32 sci-fi technology predictions that came true
From flying cars and railguns to smartphones and jetpacks — what was once sci-fi can now be found in the real world.
3 scary breakthroughs AI will make in 2024
Although 2023 was a game-changing year for artificial intelligence, it was only the beginning, with 2024 set to usher in a host of scary advancements that may include artificial general intelligence and even more realistic deepfakes.
DARPA is funding AI to help make battlefield decisions
The U.S. military research agency DARPA is spending millions to develop artificial intelligence that can help make strategic battlefield decisions.
Drones equipped with lasers uncover secrets of bloody WWII battle
Artifacts from the Battle of the Bulge are helping researchers reconstruct this bloody conflict.
Taxidermy birds are being turned into drones
Scientists are turning dead birds into drones to study aerodynamics.
Watch sheep flow like water in mesmerizing time-lapse drone footage
A photographer created an astonishing time-lapse video from aerial footage of sheep as they traveled between pastures over seven months.
Drones are flying straight into volcanoes, for life-saving science
Researchers have designed specially-adapted drones to fly straight into volcanoes and help gather data from an active volcano in Papua New Guinea.
