Drones:
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, as an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or by several other names, is an aircraft without a human pilot aboard. The flight of UAVs may operate with various degrees of autonomy: either under remote control by a human operator, or fully or intermittently autonomously, by onboard computers.
UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans. They originated mostly in military applications, although their use is expanding in commercial, scientific, recreational and other applications, such as policing and surveillance, aerial photography, agriculture and drone racing.
Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. (2001). A resource guide to law enforcement, corrections, and forensic technologies (pp. 1-95) (United States, Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services). Washington, DC: COPS: Community Oriented Policing Services.