How cool would it be to have a flying robot? What's the first thing you would do with it? Maybe send it into battle, or use it to spy on your neighbors? Well,this is not just a fantasy anymore. Drones are remote-controlled flying robots, and they are getting more popular every day. But is this a good thing for society?

The popularity of drones has exploded in recent years as technology has improved and gotten cheaper. A standard drone with a high-quality camera and four helicopter propellers now sells online for just a few hundred US dollars. Drones are extremely useful for making videos because their cameras link directly to phones or tablets. Nowadays, anyone can get professional-looking flyby shots from unique angles.

But could this cause problems? Because drones are so affordable, it means that anyone can send a robot flying around the neighborhood. People might be surprised to find a camera floating outside their window. This should be a huge concern for people who care about their privacy.

Many governments also invest in drones, but for very different reasons. The United States uses military drones for spying. Its most powerful drones, however, are Predator drones, which can fly higher than 15,000 meters at over 300 kilometers per hour. And no, they don't just take pretty videos. A predator drone can hold 360 kilograms worth of bombs, enough to completely destroy an enemy camp. The soldier controlling the drone sits safely away from the action, so it's impossible to know for sure who is getting killed. Innocent people might be in danger.

Drones are a very new technology and people are still exploring their possible uses. Maybe someday you'll come up with a new cool way to use your own remote-controlled robot.

如果擁有一臺會飛的機器人該有多酷？你會拿它來做的第一件事是什麼？也許和其他人對戰，或是偷偷監視你的鄰居？其實，這已非遙不可及的幻想了。無人機就是可遙控的飛行機器人，最近愈來愈受歡迎了。但是以社會角度而言，這是件好事嗎？

近年來，由於科技不斷進步且價格開始下降，空拍機的普及率跟著水漲船高。標準機型的空拍機，擁有高畫質相機與四個直升機式螺旋槳，網路上售價才幾百美元。空拍機讓拍攝影片變得更方便，因為攝影機能直接連結手機或平板電腦。任何人都能拍出擁有獨特角度的專業空拍畫面。

但是這樣會不會造成問題？因為空拍機的價格親民，任何人都能在社區操作飛行機器人。有人也許會驚見窗外飄著一部空拍機。這對於注重隱私的人而言，是一件極為不安的事。

有些政府單位會因為不同原因而投資無人機。美國的軍用無人機目的在於暗中監視敵方，最知名的機型就是「掠食者無人機」。它能飛至15 , 000 公尺以上的高度，時速更可超過300公里。不過，這種無人機的用處並不只是拿來拍攝好看的影片，而是乘載360公斤重的炸彈，其威力足以徹底摧毀一處敵營。雖然控制無人機的士兵坐在遠離戰火的安全之處，卻無法確切得知有誰傷亡。無辜的百姓可能因此身陷危險。

無人機是十分新穎的科技，大家仍在摸索可行的用途。或許有朝一日，你也能對自己的遙控機器人，開發出酷炫的用法。