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The essence of my TEDx talk at CERN is that technology isn\u2019t inherently evil, but humans in command of technology must become more human-friendly.<\/strong><\/p>\n On a nice day in April this year, I received an offer to speak about my work as a \u201cdrone researcher\u201d at the 2016 TEDx event<\/a> organized at CERN. Even though the opportunity seemed too good to be true, my brain had already started formulating a rough idea for the topic I wanted to address. I wanted to answer the question that I have been asked many times when I introduce myself as a drone researcher: \u201cAre you sure that the technology that you are developing will not be used for evil?\u201d<\/p>\n Since I started my PhD period at Alpen-Adria-Universit\u00e4t Klagenfurt and Lakeside Labs in the project Self-Organizing Intelligent Network of UAVs<\/a> in 2012, this question has been a constant companion of my introductions. With time, I have polished my answer, but the essence stays the same: Technology is just a tool.<\/p>\n From the moment the widespread usage of the term \u201cdrone\u201d started to this day, the term has triggered strong reactions. This fact also stands out in the TED talks about drones<\/a>, which I closely follow. On one hand, we see talks by Vijay Kumar and Raffaello D\u2019Andrea about the fascinating feats that these small devices can accomplish and the promising future possibilities they hold. On the other hand, Daniel Suarez and Malcolm Gladwell warn us how such technology can easily go rouge.<\/p>\n The reality about possible applications, however, lies somewhere in the middle because I believe that drones are just tools. We see them as menacing beings that drop bombs and invade privacy, because no humans sit inside them. What we forget is that these remotely controlled devices are still controlled devices directed by the hands of humans.<\/p>\n Being tools, drones can be used for many different purposes, but I believe that the transition of drones from \u201ckilling machines\u201d to \u201chealing machines\u201d is truly in progress. This rare kind of transition is fascinating and promising for humanity because commonly technological developments take the other direction: from good to bad. If we take more responsibility for our actions, the tools will automatically comply.<\/p>\n
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