Drones

Drones may be best known for their surveillance and military capabilities, but there’s a growing movement to use them for humanitarian aid. Inventor Mark Jacobsen is building drones to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrians stuck inside their war-torn country. But as he’s learning, bureaucracy — combined with public fears about the use of drones — has hamstrung efforts to get that aid anywhere near the Syrian border.

During a recent military celebration in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, goose-stepping soldiers, tanks, and allegedly nuclear-tipped missiles were paraded past the cheering throngs. Also on display? The reclusive nation’s fleet of military drones. And some of those drones have already crossed the border, posing a threat to both South Korea and the United States, which has 28,000 soldiers stationed near the demilitarized zone.

George Brant’s play, “Grounded,” asks what it’s like for a mother to pilot a military drone — and what it means to societies when continual surveillance becomes the norm.

“Taylor” trained as a drone sensor operator for six months, learning how to blow up things — and people — across the world with million-dollar equipment. But even though she got to go home every night, a decade of long-distance war has still taken its toll.

On December 12, 2013, a drone strike killed a group of twelve men in Yemen. But beyond the number of the dead — and the compensation paid to the victims’ families — almost everything else about the attack remains murky.On December 12, 2013, a drone strike killed a group of twelve men in Yemen. But beyond the number of the dead — and the compensation paid to the victims’ families — almost everything else about the attack remains murky.