Personal Drones: Are They a Public Hazard?

I have a DJI phantom

I have the first generation version

That's the one you can mount to GoPro 2

and you can take HD videos

it's got about 15 minutes of flight time

fly around and have a good time with it

These days drones seem to be every where

They might seem fun at first

But when you hear stories about drones

crashing into the side of buildings

You might be wondering,

are they safe?

I mean I think it really depends on the operator

and... someone's experience

As an avid UAV builder

Kon customized his quadcopter

and link it to a computer on wheels

When you come around the side of the building

you know this from walking on the street

The wind direction can change very suddenly

and it can be a big gust

and the altitude is even more so

I think there is a good balance

that can be struck between

safe use and being able to

keep the hobby alive

Most drones do have CT features build-in

If an RC or GPS signal is lost

causing the drone to go MIA

or if the battery gets low

the field safe mode kicks in and sends

the drone home autonomously

Buried inside

electrical speak controllers link the motor

to the power source

this ensures that the model doesn't burn out

and

to improve the drone's durability

DIY drone enthusiasts are

even experimenting with 3D printed hybrid materials

It's filament made of

a mixture of PLA and

carbon fibers

so it is very stiff

it's easy to work with

With all of these design improvements

may be Amazon delivery drones

could be a real possibility

In a densely populated area

it's not all that feasible although

...from a logistic stand point

if you had a fulfillment center

you know...

two blocks away

and you had a radius says

you're going to deliver within

it's actually very feasible

This means that in the near future

there might be more drones lurking in the mist

For Scientific American

I'm Theresa Chong