Why do we instinctively fear domestic UAVs? Is it because of scenes from movies like Terminator or TV shows like 24? Is it because of the headlines about UAVs killing terrorists overseas? Or is it from an innate paranoia of being spied on?

UAVs are simply unmanned aerial vehicles and nothing more. They are not monsters or evil automatons. As in the photo above, most domestic UAVs today are nothing more than foam or balsa remote control airplanes with a camera and GPS. However more modern and efficient designs are on the way.

Currently they're mostly used for science, agriculture, surveying and aerial videography or photography.

They can and do save thousands of dollars in cost and offer accessibility that full-scale manned aircraft cannot provide. For example if a hiker is lost in a canyon that is too small for a manned aircraft to fly into, a small emergency UAV can be launched from a rescue worker in the field. Or if a flood has washed out local farmland the community can either spend tens of thousands of dollars for a manned aircraft to survey the area or a couple hundred dollars with a small UAV.

One of the biggest fears of UAVs is an invasion of our privacy from above...well that already exists from manned helicopters, planes and blimps today. Another fear is that UAVs will be used by the police or military to hunt us down but today that can happen from the ground.  Then there is the concern over safety, however today when you look up in the sky there are airplanes and helicopters every where you look. If tens of thousands of commercial and private aircraft can fly over our heads every day what is it about UAVs that scares us so much?

As a UAV hobbyist I am often baffled at the fear and wild questions I encounter routinely on this subject and often wonder where does such fear and hatered over such an innocous and really beneficial thing come from?

The US government does need to do a good job at properly creating legislation to safely allow UAVs to operate but the public should be looking forward to this new age of the UAV. They will bring much more good into our lives than not. They will save lives, help us better understand the land we live on and also provide unique aerial views and perspectives we haven't been able to enjoy in the past.

Give the UAV a chance!