The World of Drones Congress held its inaugural meeting in Brisbane, Australia last month and one US futurist, Thomas Frey, was present. He stated at the meeting that there will be one billion UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) worldwide by 2030. He also noted that drones will become the most disruptive technology in human history and will do things people cannot yet imagine.

Drones already do a lot in our society. They deliver shoppers items, fight climate change, monitor reefs, provide humanitarian aid, and are even used in sports. But Frey explained that the possibilities are endless if only people can start thinking outside of the box.

In the future, drones will be used for different activities, so we need to stop looking at them like flying surveillance cameras, he told the audience. They can roll on the floor, stick to the side of buildings, float in the water, dive under the water,  climb trees and attach themselves like parasites to the side of airplanes.  Frey said that imagination and determination are important elements required to bring this vision into reality.

Frey has received a huge amount of attention in the drone sector and with the industry on his side, it will be hard to find people who disagree with his 1 billion drone prediction. Also, as an author of “Communicating With The Future” and creater of a list of 192 possible uses of drones, Frey has obviously given this topic a great amount of thought.

Frey is a man who views a future where every town or city is served by Drones, in all kinds of ways most of us are not capable of imagining. Of course many expect driverless cars, trucks, self-sufficient infrastructures, but Frey maintains that our drone usage will exceed all human expectations. He has a vision of an automated world which could truly turn into reality in the next thirteen years.

Let’s look at some recent drone news to get a better look at the current drone advancements.

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