Drone-ing in On the Future

Hey DPS109!

Thanks for joining me this week for an incredibly special treat. Nothing you have yet heard this week is REMOTELY cool as this. This week, my cover story is…wait for it….Autonomous Drones! It’s time for us to take a flying magic drone ride:

These passenger-carrying drone-taxis were unveiled just this week in Dubai, UAE as completely autonomous(there’s no pilot), preprogrammed with air routes, and available for passengers to take to airports, work, and even school! Made by China, this concept could be implemented as early as July of this year. You just click on where you want to go, and you’re up in the air in no time. Watch this video to check out how this drone-taxi works!

“The strategy will help increase traffic efficiency, productivity, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and save millions of driving hours,” Dubai Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in an April 2016 Twitter post.

This just goes to show that technology is advancing every day, all around us. It won’t be too long until we see similar ideas around our country. Drones are being used in every industry and even in entertainment? Remember Lady Gaga’s drone-show during the Super Bowl Halftime? Drones are seen in construction, astronomy, communication, and even just for data collection. They help fulfill both our curiosity as well as increase efficiency in the workplace. Instead of walking around the home to inspect for leaks in the roof, why can’t we just use a drone flying above to help detect one? It’s real funny how my holiday wish-list went from fuzzy socks and trendy shoes last year to high-flying remote-controlled drones this year!

Also, this growing concept of drones relates to security. The more devices we have to handle, the more risk there is of cyber attacks. Imagine how large-scale the impact of a hack would be on drones that aid the public in transit- especially in the air! They even have a term for this: “drone jacking!” This makes it all the more important for us to be knowledgeable users and leverage all that flying taxis offer. With the cool technology that our future brings upon comes the growing need to stay safe! So here’s my tip:

• SECURELY Patch and Update any tech you own: the newest updates are always the way to go and are patched against viruses
  • This means ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION with the
• KNOW what ransomware is & how to respond post-incident: keep an eye out for this in the next lesson:)
• Just some food for thought as you check out: http://time.com/4672881/drones-passengers-dubai-future-jetsons-ehang/ to learn more!
• Interested? Check this out for more information on drones. Also, look around for how to get a drone license. It’s not difficult to begin flying your own mini drones at home(being safe and cautious, of course): http://mashable.com/category/drones/ 
• Drone’t be risky and as always, stay safe, you!
• Detective Safety