Attack of the Drones

The future is here. Although this may seem paradoxical, the next generation of the great human experiment has arrived with aplomb. From a small scale insular network created by Tim Berners-Lee, the internet has blossomed into the defining aspect of our age. The consequences of this so called 'teach invasion' have been much praised and derided but one things for sure is that it is not slowing down.

The big technology companies have not always been key to innovation but are certainly at the forefront of developing new frontiers. These tech behemoths; Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and the like have such large cash reserves they are able to embark on an ambitious array of new and futuristic products. Google, now effectively the richest company in the world, has led the way with projects such as self driving cars and display wearable glasses in an attempt to make technology's impact on our lives seamless. Many have called these vanity products with little real world application, but it the fast moving world of technology it is naiive to cast dispersions especially considering the increasing integration of technology into all aspects of our lives.

Next to join the future parade is book seller come all conquering retailer Amazon. Another very rich company with dubious tax and employment practices that has launched a new proposal seemingly more in keeping with science fiction films than reality. Their new initiative has been dubbed Amazon prime air, a pilotless drone system for delivering packages to customers within 30 minutes. Small propellor propelled drones with nimbly navigate the skies, avoiding pigeons and light aircraft, and drop of the packages to the gleaming smiles of awaiting customers. What's not to like? Amazon has risen to the top by its hyper fast service and delivery and surely this the logical next step. Regulations look to be the biggest obstacle in the way with domestic drones being banned in the US until 2019 when they come up for review. A further possible issue is the implementation, dropping packages in Brixton may be slightly less practical than the middle class suburban residences shown in the promotional video released by Amazon.

Whether this new service will come to fruition or not is not yet clear, but what has emerged is that silicon valley will be the likely driver of innovation. One thing that is certain is that President Obama will no doubt be happy to have some drone spotlight taken away from him, search for Drones on google and his dubious practices in the Middle East have moved down a couple of notches.