Drones have killed untold thousands of civilians--the Bureau of Investigative Journalism suggest it's somewhere around 2,000. But when they're not busy doing that, the incredible technology can be used to wow and delight, says Missy Cummings, a former fighter pilot and current MIT professor studying unmanned aircraft.In late March, a swarm of 30 quadrocopters took flight over London to form the Star Trek logo to promote the upcoming movie. That event, Cummings told an audience in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, was a demonstration of drones' potential."It sounds like a small event, but it was huge. It showed the entertainment aspect of drones," she said. "Drones are going to make you laugh."Whether it was the right thing to say just minutes after a professor from Islamabad asked why the United States keeps killing children in his country is one thing, but Cummings has a point.Michael Toscano, head of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and perhaps the staunchest supporter of drones in the world, echoed the sentiment."The entrepreneurship and genius that exists for these is amazing," he said. "The application of unmanned aerial systems has not scratched the surface."The drones that fly around the US won't be, as Rand Paul might fear, giant Predators launching missiles at you while you eat your dinner. But many of them also won't be around to create your own personal light show.By all accounts, the vast majority of domestic drones will be used to survey and perhaps spray farmland, search for missing children, and, yes, track down suspected criminals. But when they're not inspiring artists and entrepreneurs (see: Drones of New York and that ridiculous anti-drone hoodie), they're trying to get their hands on the tech as well.Last month, some schlub in San Francisco used a drone to propose to his apparently flabbergasted now-fiancee (she called the drone "one of those little copter thingies" when she saw it). A South African music festival is planning--as a clear gimmick--to deliver beer using drones in August. And the Taco Copter and Burrito Bomber will give Mexican food an early monopoly on drone-delivered food if they ever become realities.Motherboard even flew its own drones at SXSW, and the MPAA is all but begging the FAA for permission to use drones for aerial shots in Hollywood blockbusters. For now, student filmmakers are allowed to use drones, so look forward to the coming onslaught of aerial battle scenes. Overseas, filmmakers have had less trouble with regulation: Drones were used in Skyfall and The Smurfs 2, of all things.So, hey, if we can keep the drones from killing us, spying on us, or crashing above our heads (all serious concerns), we might be looking at a future where drones help entertain us. And that's not so bad.
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