The Impact Of Drone Technology On Social Development

This paper looks at how drone technology can be used not only as a tool for innovation but also as a practical driver for social and economic change in rural areas. The discussion is built around a planned educational project in Horezu, Romania, scheduled to start in late August 2025. Using a qualitative approach, I combine what we know from literature with a projection of the likely local impact. Although the project is still in preparation, the anticipated results show that drones could provide communities with both new skills and real opportunities — if certain conditions are met. These results are consistent with previous findings on technology-driven rural innovation (Popescu, 2022), which underline that the adoption of emerging technologies requires both educational initiatives and institutional support. The programme has clear replication potential. For successful scaling, several conditions are necessary: the presence of an educational institution or NGO willing to coordinate, access to a minimum of 5–10 drones, and the availability of a trained facilitator. The estimated minimum resources include a budget of approximately €5,000–7,000 for equipment and materials. However, the curriculum and activities must be adapted to the specific context of each community – for instance, focusing on agricultural monitoring in farming regions, or cultural heritage promotion in areas with tourism potential.