Drones used for entertainments

These days, during weekends you can see youths at the park or vacant lots with controllers in their hands playing with wirelessly controlled cars or helicopters, but today we are going to learn about the growing popularity of drones.

A drone is a flying object that is controlled without any wires, and its concept was first created during the beginning of the 20^th century. Originally, the word drone was an onomatopoeia derived from a bee’s flying wings. People that saw this wirelessly controlled, small sized, manless buzzing plane started to call it a drone.

Instead of it being made as an air force plane or an enemy plane for missile practice, it was originally designed to be a target. Combining the simplicity of its design and wireless technology led to an elaborate development of it being installed on missiles to use as an attack plane, and because it had the advantage of allowing a pilot to scout the enemy lines without boarding, it was used in the military during World War II and the Vietnam War. Another big reason for its use was that in proportion to its technological advancement, it was much cheaper to produce than guidance equipment.

As military drones became miniaturized and lightweight, their domain has been increasing as a leisure activity, recently. Like model airplanes that had waves of popularity 20 to 30 years ago, there have been drone clubs forming, and many countries and governments are running drone-experiencing events that are promoting skilled controller pilots. Beginning in 2016, an international drone piloting event has been in the making to be opened in our country as well.

Recently, drones in the fourth Industrial Revolution have introduced increasingly more roles, and towards the end of 2016, Amazon gained attention regarding the business-related elements when it used drones as a delivery service. By following this global trend, our country has also been busy experimenting with using drones as a means of delivery. Last October, the food delivery app, “YoGiYo,” with the help of Hanwha Techwin, successfully tested the use of delivery drones. This was the first domestic delivery drone service and was carried out by ordering food via the app, which then took off on delivery attached to the drone after being packaged. The app’s party disclosed statements and said, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced they have been cooperating with drone businesses in order to distribute commercialized drones by 2020, and fulfilling that goal won’t be too far away once drones become deregulated.” Giant distribution corporations like CJ Korea Express and Hyundai Logistics currently have been nominated to distribute drones and have been working to find ways to commercialize them.

The drone market is growing at an extremely fast rate, and because interest by the masses is growing, ways to use drones in real life will expand. However, there are some existing issues that need to be addressed before using drones.

The first problem that arises is safety. There is a possibility that when independently using a drone, it could cause a fatal accident with someone on the ground. The government needs to educate individuals on safe, cautious, and proper use of drones and put in place institutional strategies regarding the responsibility for accidents. Especially during unforeseen circumstances due to poor control, drones can crash in a concentrated area and result in injuries. In the popular television drama series, Misaeng, a scene was filmed using a drone, but it crashed and caused injuries.

Second, it can be an invasion to someone’s personal privacy. The high-resolution cameras on many drones are capable of taking live videos and pictures which can be mistakenly or intentionally used to invade the privacy of normal households, buildings, or hotels. Recently, there have been drones released that can connect to smartphones which could then be used to deliberately peer into someone’s private life illegally. There was recently a post going around on social media that gained attention of a drone in Daejeon where the perpetrator secretly filmed an apartment room for about 20 minutes through the blinds which were opened for ventilation. Because of these problems that invade privacy, England established guidelines to prevent such acts. The guidelines state that the drone pilot must inform beforehand where and when he/she will fly the drone. Our government is also trying to establish protection through the Protection of Personal Information Act of electronic image devices that collect personal data, but is in a situation where specific laws have not been created yet.

Drones have given us a new perspective and are being used to resolve difficult tasks. They are providing individuals, businesses, governments, public institutions, militaries, and more with opportunities and possibilities. However, following in the trail of their success are side effects. In order to use drones safely and universally, aspects regarding safety and privacy must be taken into account. Nevertheless, as long as the effort and determination to resolve problems stays intact, drones will succeed in becoming popular.

Lee Hun, reporter  20160189@changwon.ac.kr

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