Translator: Matteo Maggiò Reviewer: Michele Gianella
Do you remember the sci-fi movies they made 30 years ago?
I wasn't born yet,
but they imagined worlds
populated by flying cars and robots.
So far, we haven't designed flying cars yet
but we did invent something even more phenomenal:
drones.
If you think about it,
a drone is nothing more than a flying robot.
Simple, small and lightweight,
much cheaper than any robot prototype.
Easy to handle, thanks to four simple propellers
that allow you to move them in different directions:
up or down, right or left.
But especially safe,
because they use collision sensors and radar
to avoid any kind of obstacle.
The configuration of drones
makes them an extremely adaptable and versatile technology.
And that's precisely the reason
why I decided to use them in my company, a year ago.
For you, drones may be nothing more than a mere tool;
but for me they represented a real awakening.
And thanks to the potential of drones
I set my mind, together with my partners,
to shape a new, innovative and thriving future
where tradition and technology, governance and business
can work together to awaken collective awareness
and ensure a better future for our children.
You will now be wondering, first of all,
Who wouldn't want to ensure a better future for their children?
And also: what on Earth drones have to do with all of this?
Well, if the answer to the first question is obvious,
the answer to the second is much more complex
And that is why I am here today:
to show you that drones are not relegated to our imagination,
but they are a concrete reality.
Drones already entered several fields and more will they be in the future:
from the most trivial to the most complex, the uses are countless.
Now, in the common imagination, a drone is a war tool
used for patrolling and surveillance operations.
However, this does not mean
that it cannot be used for much more noble purposes:
from search and rescue of missing people,
during natural disasters such as avalanches and earthquakes,
to the transportation of transplant organs
in remote, not-so-accessible locations.
Now, I want to give you a concrete example
of the potential these small flying machines have.
Let’s start from the beginning, from the problem: bees.
They are responsible for the pollination of 75% of the world's crops.
We are talking about apples, cherries, broccoli, blueberries.
Now, as a result of climate change and the increasing use of pesticides,
the bee population is falling dramatically.
And the consequences of this
go far beyond the foods I have just mentioned,
but also the herbivore animals, who produce dairy products and meat;
canola, used as biofuel in many developing countries;
and even the cotton your clothes are made of.
As you can see, these data are extremely alarming,
and despite the bad news
this trend won't reverse in the foreseeable future,
some scientists have invented a mini drone that's capable of pollinating flowers
and therefore make up for the decline in bee population.
Using simple horsehair, which reproduces the hair of bees,
and a gel that captures the pollen,
these mini drones can ensure food security
in such an uncertain future.
Nonetheless,
this is certainly not a good alibi for the death of bees!
This is just one of the countless examples
of the potential of drones.
Soon they will become a ubiquitous part of your daily lives,
starting from the fruits and vegetables you put on the table.
Drones can be used to control fruits ripening,
to spread pesticides in a controlled fashion
or even to sow seeds.
Not to mention that they will become the new cars of the future
and will completely disrupt how our city will look like,
especially in parcel delivery, that will be offered by air,
rather than on wheels.
Your trusted postman will be a drone.
You'll see them on the beach, when you're on holiday,
because lifeguards will use them to check swimmers
and carry life jackets in case of an emergency.
Or more simply, they will be used for entertainment:
these are 2018 drones used by Intel
to compose a light show.
[Video]
Many objectors insist on the risk represented by these new technologies
from a privacy perspective.
Yet this is not due to drones.
The loss of privacy
is due to curiosity and the desire we have
to share what we like, what we don't like,
where we live, our habits, with others.
There's no need for a drone or a camera
to spy on what you do at home in the night,
or what you ate at lunch,
because you probably shared it on social networks already.
The real problem is related to the lack of rules and regulations:
no matter how advanced the technology of your drones,
they will never replace man.
Yes, thise are machines that make our lives easier;
but they are still man-controlled machines,
Now, the issue is not just about drones, but new technologies in general.
We need institutions to regulate them as soon as possible,
and work together with businesses and local authorities
in order to elaborate a succint but complete action plan
that can overcome the obstacles of an often overwhelming bureaucracy,
that discourages countless ventures.
And not only are these initiatives neglacted by governments,
but they are often hampered by a slow redfile machinery.
A striking example is the so-called Corporate Social Responsibility,
[Translates into Italian]
which is the desire of businesses of all size
to have a positive social impact on the surrounding community.
It's about using a small part of thier profits
to help preserve our planet,
without which we could not survive.
There are countless examples of companies around the world
using drones
to fight the great challenges of this century.
Climate change, for example:
in California, thermal cameras mounted on drones
are used to circumvent fires
that burn more and more hectares every passing summer.
Drones are used in Kenya and Tanzania
to protect flora and fauna and prevent poaching activities,
while in Myanmar they are used to spread seeds,
reforest coastal areas inhabited by mangroves.
And corporate social responsibility is indeed my field of activity
within the company that I founded a year ago,
at eighteen years of age, in the Silicon Valley,
with my brother who, let's say, raised me with bread and drones.
We use a service,
a network of drone pilots to provide security services,
but the most interesting part is the idea of a business plan
that combines business and civil responsibility.
So in case of emergency,
we can offer our help to the community that welcomed us
and without which we would not exist.
Yet, unfortunately,
we're hindered by redfile machinery and the lack of clear regulations,
and often keeps us from intervening in a timely manner.
It is precisely for this reason
that institutions must lead the process of technological renewal.
At just 19 years of age,
I am still perhaps too idealistic and optimistic
about being able to impact positively and contribute to that sistemic change
that's needed to ensure a future for my children.
I have my whole life ahead of me,
yet I feel the urgency to act
because my generation can, I hope,
and must reverse the negative trend we have been following for too long.
It is time to reawaken,
and we are not talking about a technological or economic awakening:
we are talking about an awakening of the collective conscience
and of the ruling class.
From the bottom to the top,
in order to work together so that a new Renaissance can take place,
to discover and preserve the beauty of our planet.
(Applause)