The Drone Industry Hates the Word 'Drone.' So, What's a Better Option?A drone by any other name would still be a vehicle that can fly around without a pilot.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," then a drone by any other name would still be a remote-controlled flying vehicle. And yet there is quite the kerfuffle over how to refer to these aerial devices.
One thing is clear: Many in the industry prefer to stay away from "drone." The trade group representing drone technology -- which is been used in everything from military combat toAmazon special delivery beta-testingtophotography-- is calledThe Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.The Federal Aviation Administration, the government body tasked with regulating U.S. airspace, calls dronesunmanned aircraft systems, or UAS for short. As does thearmy. The navy has used the termunmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV for short.
Related:Not Science Fiction: Amazon Is Working on a Drone-Powered Delivery System
The debate over what to call these flying vehicles was brought to light in aWall Street Journalarticle published today. The main argument against "drone" is that it makes people think only of the technology's militaristic uses, despite it having other applications.
Alternatives for the word drone mentioned by theJournalinclude "crone," "remotely piloted aircraft," and "unmanned aircraft." Some aerospaces companies name their drones based on however many propellers they have, so they'll name a "quadcopter" for a drone with four propellers and an "octocopter" for one with eight.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and tell us how you feel about the word "drone." If you are not a fan, what's the best alternative and why?
