The Lily drone debacle Image used with permission by copyright holderĢ015: The consumer drone industry has gone from strength to strength. Bezos described the technology as being around five years away, although Amazon later clarified that aerial deliveries will require some federal rule changes. In an interview on 60 Minutes, Bezos described the possibility of using the technology to make half-hour deliveries. While the retail giant wasn’t the first company to consider drone deliveries, it was the one which puts the technology into the public consciousness. Amazon Prime AirĢ013: In December 2013, Amazon released a concept video showcasing founder Jeff Bezos’ dream for a drone-based delivery system. The company’s AR Drone 2.0 further improved on the formula with an easier piloting system, making it easier for newcomers to pick-up-and-play. The drone was almost immediately successful, both critically and commercially, receiving the 2010 CES Innovations award for Electronic Gaming Hardware, and selling upwards of half a million units.

Here comes the Parrot AR Drone WikipediaĢ010: The French company Parrot released their Parrot AR Drone, the first ready-to-fly drone which can be controlled entirely via Wi-Fi, using a smartphone. At first, barely any commercial drone permits are requested. In doing so, it opened up new possibilities for companies or professionals who wanted to use drones in assorted business ventures. These permits lifted some of the limitations placed on consumer drones flown for recreational purposes. FAA creates commercial drone permits Getty Images/Saul LoebĢ006: Recognizing the potential of non-military, non-consumer drone applications, the FAA issued the first commercial drone permits. Instances such as this began concerns about the use of drones in warfare, which continues to rage today. However, it turned out to be an innocent man named Daraz Khan who was out collecting scrap metal. The first CIA drone-based kill operation took place in February 2002, when an unmanned Predator drone was used to target a suspect thought to be Osama bin Laden. The first armed drone strikes Getty Images/Thir KhanĢ001: In the aftermath of 9/11, the CIA began flying armed drones over Afghanistan as part of the war against the Taliban. The cottage industry that sprang up was an early example of the kind of community and market which emerged for consumer drones half a century later. Mostly coming in kit form, these RC planes offered everything from indoor-flyable models to much larger outdoor models. What followed was a popularity boom in RC planes in the U.S.

1960s: Breakthroughs in transistor technology meant that, for the first time, miniaturized radio-controlled components were available to customers at a reasonable cost.

Introducing amazon strike drone