Search and rescue often is touted as one of the areas where unmanned aircraft, commonly called drones, can do the most good with existing technology.
SAR, as it's called in the business, will only make up a small part of the economic pie for the unmanned aircraft industry, according to an economic report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). But out of all of the potential applications, due to the personal impact and high news visibility of missing persons, it has the potential to be the greatest asset in public acceptance of drones.
If a positive public perception translates into acceptance, history might show that Thursday was a game-changer in terms of domestic drone adoption.
