When Drones Fly

As drones have matured into smarter and more practical machines, they have hummed, buzzed, and whirred their way into industries as diverse as movie production, agriculture, civil engineering, and insurance. It is entirely clear that autonomous drones will play a prominent role in business in the coming years. Firms such as Amazon, FedEx, and Uber have experimented with the technology to deliver packages, food, and more, while military agencies, emergency responders, gaming companies, entertainment firms, and others have explored other possibilities.

"Drones introduce far more efficient ways to accomplish some tasks," says Todd Curtis, president of Airsafe. com, a site that tracks drone and other aeronautic technologies.