An Introduction to Drones: Practical and Ethical Considerations

The drone, defined as aircraft navigated separately from onboard pilots or crew, was originally developed in the 20th century for military tasks considered excessively dull or dangerous. Recent technological developments, however, have greatly expanded the purposes of drone operation and increased non-military uses while raising new privacy and safety concerns. This course explores the history, physics, policies and ethics of personal drone operation, while offering observable demonstrations for a technology that is altering fields such as healthcare, criminal justice, cartography, fire prevention, modern warfare, product delivery and broad areas of human surveillance.