Drones are an all-time fun activity. They provide recreation time for people of all ages. There are different types of drones for beginners and professionals. Since the 21st century, drones have become popular day by day. However, the rise in the publicity of drones has also created a number of misconceptions and myths about them.
Common Misconceptions About Drones
Remotely piloted vehicles (RPV) are known as “Drones”. Drones have become one of the most popular topics since 2016, with an increasing worth of 13 Billion USD in 2021. A few years back, drones were considered an intricate and expensive item to purchase, but today every individual can afford a drone. Companies are investing more in drone technology than ever. However, like many other emerging and novel technologies, to date drones remain the point of skepticism.
Misconceptions about Drones
Here is a compilation of nine common misconceptions about this excitingly controversial technology.
Drones Are Used for Spying On Private Residence
The driving force of anti-drone arguments usually starts with a statement that people can spy on my private residence or can take private pictures. Before making any assumptions, one thing to keep in mind is that FAA regulation prohibits drones from flying above 400 feet, which means that most consumer-based drone cameras won’t work at that altitude.
However, if some drone comes close enough to your residence to take a picture, you will notice its famous humming sound. There are several ways in which drones can be made quieter.
There Is No Law for Privacy Invasion By Drones
One of the main growing concerns related to the prevalence of RPVs is that there is no law to prevent invasions of privacy. Brendan Schulman, a specialized attorney stated that we don’t need any new law to ensure privacy invasions as we already have a law concerning unlawful surveillance.
If any individual invades someone’s privacy, it is an unlawful activity regardless of the technology used and that person will be held accountable by law. However, there are several laws provided by the FAA for flying drones.
Drones Are a Killing Machine
Drones are shown in the movies equipped with arms and bombs, which create a perception that they are a killing machine. According to a report released in 2018, in twelve months, drones saved at least 65 lives. Consider at least the keywords for this statement. As of today, drones are used in many rescue operations and preventing any possible injuries.
In many affected areas, emergency deliveries of medical supplies are now sent by drones, eliminating the risk of putting medical teams in harm’s way.
No Training Is Needed to Fly RPVs
A few years back drones were used only for military purposes, but now people are using them for various jobs. The drone controllers need specific training to operate drones.
Recently $1.65 million was granted to the professor in Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies to train 150 individuals for the different tasks using drones. These tasks include agricultural and environmental monitoring. Besides, some of the crowd-funded projects include surveillance of mountain expeditions.
Signal Jamming can Destroy a Drone
One of the most prevailing misconceptions about the drone is that you can take them down by jamming their communication signals. However, one thing that all the drones have is a feature called lost link protocol. The main function of this feature is to ensure that in case of any emergency or loss of signal, the drone will automatically guide itself back to safety, which is a predetermined location.
Hackers can jam a communication signal but lost link protocol will remain unchanged. Moreover, it’s not safe to hack a drone as it may fall on you.
They Can Work in Any Situation
People think of a drone as some powerful machine that can overcome any situation which is not true. They are not prone to hard weather conditions. Furthermore, they are not capable of carrying heavy objects unless we are talking about some high-grade military drones.
Consumer drones can only carry a few pounds. Sure with the right engineering in the future, we might see drones carrying heavy weight or doing heavy deliveries but today RPVs are not capable of doing all these functions.
Consumer Drones Are Pretty Much Same as Military Drones
RPVs are very common today as compared to a few years back but still many people envision military-grade armed predators when they hear the word drone. People assume that consumer base drones and military drones share the same specifications. Military drones are far more powerful and capable with complex technology. Their timing, size, camera, speed, etc. are extremely different from consumer-based drones.
All Drones are Capable of Delivering Goods
Today many companies are using drones for delivery purposes but those drones have different specifications as compared to the RPVs available for consumer use. Amazon-Prime air is providing delivery services but only for parcels that weigh up to five pounds. Furthermore, in October 2021, Google announced to start a drone delivery service that will allow its user to have goods delivered from a shopping mall to their footstep. Delivery will take approximately 15 minutes or less.
Some Common Myths about Drones
People Think That Drones Have Limited Battery
A common myth related to drones is that they can’t stay longer in the air, which is not true. Most drones can stay for hours in the air if you have the right ones purchased. The batteries are quite powerful and can be extended too. Recently, new technology was launched in which drones can use solar power to stay in the air for months. However, this technology is being used more in the military sector and not in the consumer markets. This is because such drones are not only expensive but they are also not a requirement for the general consumer market to fly drones for hours.
You Can Shoot a Drone If It’s on Your Property
The most important myth to clarify is that no one can shoot a drone. Shooting a drone or causing harm to the drone will be considered a federal crime. Destroying RPVs will impose a massive threat to other people as it may fall on them or cause damage to their property. This is because shooting a drone comes under aerial shooting which is illegal. Even if someone is flying a drone at your property, contact the concerned authorities instead of shooting. In case the bullets hit someone’s window or potentially a person, it could become even bigger trouble for you.
If you see any RPV above your property that you didn’t authorize. Simply find a pilot and ask them to fly somewhere else, or you can call the police to do your job.
Drones Technology is Only for Aerial Photography
Another common perception related to drones is that they are only used for those beautiful aerial shots we saw in movies and commercials. However, today drones are being used in almost every sector whether it’s an oil refinery, making of large infrastructures, or in logistics. Drones are helping humans in nearly every field.
Drones are also being used for the purpose of fire suppression. Considerable research has been done for this purpose and there is much research that is still underway to evidently prove the usage of drones in fire suppression. We will soon be seeing that drones are helping out firefighters in looking through the tight spots.
Conclusion
There is a lot about drones that confuses people. In fact, some people have just made their own myths based on how they have seen people fly drones. One thing to keep in mind is that there might be a lot you hear about drones but it is always better to go out and fly one to find out. If you are interested in buying a drone, check this out – What Is the Best Quadcopter Drone Kit?