Photographer Brian Wilson used a DJI Phantom quadcopter UAV and a GoPro camera to capture images of a building explosion that occurred in Harlem on March 12. While Wilson was successful in his endeavor (click here to see photos), his use of UAVs was frowned upon by NYPD, who asked him to bring the UAV down and leave the scene. PetaPixel suggests that the main issue with Wilson using his UAV in this situation was the potential for it to get in the way during the emergency/rescue operation. Still, he succeeded in his plan to capture images of scene. What are your thoughts on this? Should Wilson or others be allowed to use personal UAVs in such a situation?
James Carroll
Former VSD Editor James Carroll joined the team 2013. Carroll covered machine vision and imaging from numerous angles, including application stories, industry news, market updates, and new products. In addition to writing and editing articles, Carroll managed the Innovators Awards program and webcasts.