The technology of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), often (but unfortunately) called drones, and demonstrations of numerous potential applications, seems to be running well ahead of the ability of regulatory bodies to grapple with it. As long-term technologists and/or technology analysts, we generally have a positive view toward new ideas … including UAVs. There are already a bunch of toy UAVs and ones that are a notch above toys that are being used for a range of applications that are mostly oriented towards photography or surveillance. Most of those involve relatively low altitudes and the devices themselves are so lightweight that they generally would not cause serious injury to people or property. The controversy is how to set up regulations that allow both hobbyists and serious users to pursue their objectives while preventing injuries, deaths, or damage. Because the technology is so new, and the appearance of such devices so unexpected, from a safety standpoint it may make sense to err on the conservative side … at least until the general public has been exposed to it. So we were surprised that the FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration’s) fining of entrepreneur Raphael Pirker for flying a small UAV around the Statue of Liberty’s crown (more than 200 feet above Liberty Island) was reversed by by a U.S. federal court in March 2014, according to the Wall Street Journal. Of course, this is only one event., and regulations vary considerably from country to country, so much is yet to come. And the military, which doesn’t have to satisfy the FAA, is already exploring the use of UAVs for a variety of purposes, from searching for suspects to delivering large quantities of supplies via unmanned helicopters.