The 21st century is without a doubt the best century to be alive. With constant breakthroughs in every aspect of our lives, we are undoubtedly living in interesting times. Over the past few years, a key trend has developed in the advancement of technology - a major increase in the use of drones. There has been a lot of news coverage for drones lately, and not all of it has been good. From academics to scientists, politicians to tech leaders, everyone has been expressing their views on this controversial technology.

For the uninitiated, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS), also known as drones, are aircrafts that are either controlled from the ground or autonomously following a pre-programmed mission. Historically, drones have been split into two categories: those armed with missiles and bombs and those used for reconnaissance and surveillance. But the last few years have seen a huge shift from these traditional uses to innovative ways of improving humanity.

Seen as a controversial technology, drones are used for recreational purposes around the world. However, can they really change London? We look at 5 ways they might just help improve the city.

In the recent years, Europe’s emergency services have been experimenting with drones in firefighting and human rescuing scenarios. An example of this technology in action can be seen at the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department in Denmark, who are actively using drones in combating fires and chemical accidents. With the physical size of London proving hard to provide emergency services to quickly, the emergency services can both make better use of their manpower and reduce the life threatening risk for fire fighters by deploying drones to assess situations and possibly assist in their work.

This topic is by far one of the most controversial one. On one hand, drones can potentially save the lives of the public, police officers and reduce crime. However, it could be argued drones can increase the surveillance of the population, leading to potential breaches of privacy. With a population of 8.8 million people, the use of drone technology could provide the police with a valuable resource with which to police the streets, receiving information on where to distribute manpower, or recording crime.

London is a densely-populated city, and as such traffic is a common aspect of the city’s life. Using drones could greatly ease both the time it takes to understand the build-up of traffic, relay this information to the authorities, and provide real time information regarding the best route to avoid congestion and how to ease congestion.

We already leave in a fast-paced world in which time is money. Drones represent a very viable alternative to delivery drivers. Amazon have showcased a prototype drone with the goal of getting packages to its customers within 30 minutes. Linking once more to London’s incredible population density, the drones will surely prove to be an innovative possible solution to a variety of problems caused by deliveries, as well as possibly shortening the time it takes for goods to be transported between locations.

Drone technology can fundamentally change the way we purchase property. By using a drone, the potential buyer can explore in real time, getting a virtual tour if unable to reach the property. Drones could even affect the way estate agents display properties.

Would you believe if someone told you that drones can potentially be used for passenger flights? You may argue that this is just an idea taken from a Sci-Fi movie. However, this innovation could be closer than you think.

The Ehank 184 is a new electric quadcopter drone that is large enough to carry a passenger on short distances. The craft can fly up to 1,500 feet and can get to a speed of up to 62mph. The only issue so far is that the flight time only reaches 23 minutes.

If this “UFO” will be released to the market, the London skies will undoubtedly looked different. At least there would be less traffic.