Our Drone Future

This three-minute video from designer Alex Cornell imagines a future San Francisco in which an autonomous (seemingly police or military) drone is set free to patrol the skies of the city by the bay, in order to keep its citizens “safe.” We won’t give away the ending, but it’s safe to say that the video reflects the tenor of the debate over whether or not more-evolved versions of the drones that America currently flies over war zones will ever be allowed to patrol domestic skies. It also comes as more individuals, including presumably the filmmakers, are pushing the limits of federal aviation regulations as they fly drones such as the DJI Phantom around US cities.