原文:
Civilian Drones Raise Hopes, Questions in Africa
From Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
African militaries want drones to help them guard their borders and large open spaces, but makers of these drones, which are also call unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, say they could do much more than military work. They could deliver medicines, protect endangered species, and move goods quickly and cheaply. But some experts warn that letting drones operate even for good uses could create problems.
FILE - A technician checks a surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles drone operated by the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congos eastern city of Goma. United Nations forces in Democratic Republic of Congo launched unmanned aircraft to monitor the volatile border with Rwanda and Uganda, the first time.Kenyan engineer James Munyoki has built several drones. One of them can carry a load of upto 6 kilograms. He is trying to increase that to 10 kilograms.
When I started building them, I was thinking the payload would be something like a camera for surveillance purposes. We need that in Kenya. That would enhance security. Apart from that, it can also monitor traffic. These are drones that can be used for journalism or photography, so the application is not just going to be for military purpose or security purpose, said Munyoki.
Park rangers in South Africa are flying small drones to watch over endangered rhinos. Some experts say drones could also be use to document the flow of refugees trying to escape conflict from their country, or to record governmental abuses of human rights. They could help in search and rescue operations, and transport aid to hard-to-reach or dangerous areas.
Africas strong economic growth and bad road conditions are seeing as a great business opportunity for drone makers. They believe battery-powered drones could move from one charging center to another, carry items to villages far from cities.
Kristin Sandvik is the director of the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies. She says drones may solve some problems but create others.
Across Africa, very few countries have comprehensive domestic legislation on privacy and data protection and information storage....A drone cannot only see or listen. It can also sense and hear and read. So in a couple of years time when you have the smaller drones also outfitted with facial recognition technology. A smaller drones that could potentially hack into wireless systems, said Sandvik.
Ms Sandvik says drones carrying cameras maybe use to deliver aid to a refugee camp, but she asks, what happens to the information it may gather.
Is the drone going to then give [over] all of this humanitarian crisis mapping information? Is that going to be handed over the International Criminal Court for example? Sandvik questioned.
Drones are not get ready for widespread use. The sensor technology needed to prevent drones from crashing into things needs to be improved. They are also costly, and in most countries, drones or other aircraft can not be flown without special laws governing their use.
Opponents and supporters of drones do not agree on much, but they do agree that the technology is coming likely within the next 10 years. And they say Africa needs to be ready.
And that is the Technology Report from Learning English.
时事资讯:美国新泽西州三市长涉嫌腐败被捕
2013年BEC考试时间公布:纸笔考试7场、机考4场
拼了!巴西将动用"核辐射"绝育技术灭蚊抗寨卡
时事资讯:一条小鱼可以拯救你的听力?
时事资讯:世卫建议先给医护人员接种甲流疫苗
时事资讯:奥巴马获赠巴西队球衣 面露尴尬
武汉大学考试中心2013年BEC中级报名时间
剑桥BEC高级考试等级评定说明
时事资讯:奥巴马选大使唯"钱"是举?
2013年上半年剑桥商务英语考试BEC报名时间汇总
2011年BEC商务英语中级考试大纲:阅读
G20将邀请穷国参与国际税务谈判
特朗普轻松赢得内华达州初选
湖南大学外国语学院2013年3月BEC中级考试报名通知
暨南大学珠海校区2013年3月剑桥BEC中级报考通知
联合国一官员称中美就制裁朝鲜达成一致
叙利亚停火协议将于2月27日起实施
时事资讯:英首相夫人写博客 爆"G8夫人峰会"内幕
沙特表示 石油减产不会发生
2011下半年BEC考试时间安排与流程
澳大利亚大幅增加国防开支
时事资讯:中国网民人数达到3.38亿
天津大学研究生院2013年BEC中级报名时间
北京外国语大学网络教育学院2013上半年BEC考试报名时间
安倍只有一支箭 The vanishing golf courses that sum up Abeno
商务英语就业方向及前景分析
大连外国语学院旅顺校区2013年3月BEC中级报名时间
时事资讯:花旗将与联邦存款保险签署秘密协议
暨南大学外国语学院2013年3月BEC中级报名时间
时事资讯:伊朗客机坠毁 168人罹难
| 不限 |
| 英语教案 |
| 英语课件 |
| 英语试题 |
| 不限 |
| 不限 |
| 上册 |
| 下册 |
| 不限 |