I first heard of drones a couple of years ago while trying out Cinemizer, the multimedia video glasses made by Zeiss. The demonstration featured a video shot from a drone flying above the Brooklyn Bridge and over lower Manhattan.

When I donned the glasses, my pulse started racing. It felt like I was flying! The views were spectacular, and I “felt” every dip and turn as the drone flew, bird-like, over the cityscape below. I started thinking it would be cool to own a drone.

Since then, drones have become one of the hottest consumer product categories. During my recent visit to CES (Consumer Electronics Show), I saw a big increase in the number of drone manufacturers showing their wares. (Interestingly, the Federal Aviation Administration also had a booth in the drone zone.) And a new study from Juniper Research has found that annual revenues from commercial drones sales are expected to reach $481 million this year, up by 84 percent from last year.

What do drones have to do with the eyewear business? Right now, not much. But Amazon is pushing hard to launch its Prime Air service, which proposes to use drones to deliver packages directly to customers in as little as 30 minutes.

Although the e-retailer is facing regulatory hurdles, it is reportedly talking with the FAA and NASA about its plans to fly drones between 200 and 400 feet above the ground. If these agencies give Amazon the green light, other delivery services will follow suit. Apart from the obvious safety issues which the regulatory agencies are grappling with, the prospect of clogging our skies with drones raises privacy issues and other quality of life concerns. Eyewear manufacturers and retailers need to weigh potential profits derived from faster delivery of their products against the intrusion into our lives that will be caused by an invasion of drones.

I still think it might be fun to own a drone, but only if there are strict federal and local regulations limiting their use. If you’re worried about a possible drone invasion too, now is the time to contact your elected representatives and voice your concern.

Andrew Karp
Group Editor, Lenses and Technology
[email protected]