Ethics Lecture On Drones And UAVs

Attended another really good lecture at The Center for Ethics in Science and Technology at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

This one focused on the benefits and risks of military, law enforcement and civilian uses of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The first half of the evening began with three brief presentations by a trio of speakers very experienced with the issue of unmanned drones (a term all three agreed was outdated and with too many negative connotations). The presenters were Lucien Miller, CEO of Innov8tive Designs, a manufacturer and distributor of UAV parts and accessories, Kieth McLellan, CEO of ROV Systems LLC, design firm for a range of unmanned aircraft and systems, and Bob Osborne, retired Commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and UAV Program Manager and now working with Homeland Security for Public Safety UAS SME at Modern Technology Solutions, Inc.

After speaking for the first half hour about the past, present and future of the industry, the floor was opened up to questions by quite a few attendees whose main concern was privacy issues. The Q&A portion was supposed to last another half hour but the moderator had to cut the line off after about 45 minutes.

All three presenters tried to be as reassuring as possible about the future of UAVs in regards to the problems of public privacy.