GAME OF DRONES

of his favorite hobbies. Detroit Drone
allows Arnold to combine his love for
flying model airplanes with his love for
photography.
“I've always wanted to get involved
with technology that would help get
cool camera shots,” Arnold said. “I like
working with drones because the shots
are unique. The pictures the drones
take are not the same as a traditional
camera. They are very different.”
Arnold is developing a program that
would allow first responders to deploy
drones to an emergency situation prior
to their arrival. “Firefighters would
be able to see footage and know how
a fire is burning before arriving on the
scene,” Arnold said.
Arnold is a part of a growing trend
among small and large business owners
using drone technology to take aerial
photos from high above building
rooftops. Drone flights last between
four and five minutes and have the ability
to capture high resolution shots to
be used for research and development.
The technology in small drones has
been rapidly growing. Small drones
that use GPS technology to find locations
are currently being developed. In
a recent interview with CBS “60 minutes,”
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com,
said that the company is researching
ways to implement drone technology
to fly packages weighing five pounds
or less from its fulfillment centers to
customer homes. The drones Amazon
proposes using would have a flying
range of 10 miles or less, requiring permission
from the FAA.
The U.S. military is also looking at
ways to expand its hefty lead in deploying
drone technology. Some of the
latest developments include electric
and fuel powered versions of drones
that can be used for defense purposes.
While some larger businesses can offer
the use of drone technology, small business
owners or struggling municipalities
can't afford to pay the cost of using
it. Harry Arnold is launching a $20,000
crowd funding campaign in 2014 to
fund more equipment so he can lease
his drones to the city of Detroit and
to small businesses, who wish to use
drones for other research purposes.
“Big companies who provide drone
service can cost up to $100,000.” Arnold
said. “People should support an independent
effort to help first responders.
As an independent business I can make
drones much more affordable. These
drones are something that
can help Detroit since they
are going through financial
problems.” As for the future
of drone technology,
Arnold agrees with Amazon
CEO Bezos.
“In the next five to 10
years, I see the use of drones
expanding.” Arnold said.
“I wouldn't be surprised if
mail will start being delivered
by drones.”
***
Meanwhile, thousands of civilian
drones are expected to
crowd the U.S. skies within a
few years, raising much concern that
they can be used for corporate spying.
“It’s not difficult to create essentially
a flying hacking platform,” Suarez
argues. “I saw one installed in an old
gunnery drone from the 1980s, which
was used in the military. They were
able to put in a 4-5 pound tracking system
and use it to intercept cell phones.
And when the drone was done. It was
able to fly away,” he added: “Basically,
eliminating the evidence.”
Jay Stanley, a Policy Analyst for
the American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU), said that the stirring controversy
surrounding drones and the issue
of privacy has been hotly debated
amongst lawmakers, policy analysts
and law enforcement officials. “Our
biggest concern is that drones potentially
might be used in mass surveillance
and could track an entire city,”
Stanley explains. “We want to ensure
that we adopt privacy regulations, so
privacy invasions don’t happen.”
Now the drone revolution has landed
squarely in middle America. In a small
rural town in Colorado’s Eastern Plains,
Mayor Frank Fields has declared war
on drones. The town of Deer Trail plans
to pass an ordinance in April 2014 to
begin issuing drone-hunting licenses.
“The ordinance was to prohibit drones
in our airspace and in the town limits,”
Fields said. “It was more of a novelty
to generate a little money for a community
center,” he added. “People in our
town are leery. So it kind of opened up
people's eyes to drones.”
If the mayor of Deer Trail spots a
cluster of drones airborne in the sky
will he shoot to kill? “No, because I
haven’t bought my license yet,” he says
with sly chuckle.
THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.17