What Are Drones Used for Besides Taking Pretty Pictures?

When drones first hit the consumer market several years ago, one application became obvious: amateur photography. Breathtaking landscape photos that previously would have required renting a helicopter started popping up all over hobbyists' Facebook pages. But today you might be wondering: what are drones used for when they're not snapping gorgeous sunsets from high above the forest? Well, lots of things, actually. Here are five things drones can do that you might not know about, along with recommendations for models to look at if you're interested in trying these activities out.

Help with Home Improvement

It might come as a surprise to see such a useful, utilitarian answer to the question "what are drones used for." Imagine inspecting your gutters without getting out the ladder, or using bird's-eye imagery to plan your backyard makeover. Some homeowners have dreamed up even more creative uses for drones, such as clearing leaves from their driveways using gusts from the drone's propellers, or attaching an infrared camera and searching their home's exterior for places they're losing heat.

Sample drone model: If you're just using it as a mobile set of eyes around the homestead, most any model will do. Consider something affordable yet reliable, like the ZSwiftStream Z-9 Indoor/Outdoor Real Time Video Camera Drone (from $89.99).

Deliver a First-Person Experience

Drones equipped with FPV (or "first-person view") technology let users experience simulated flight directly from the drone's perspective via streaming video. Users might watch this video on a monitor mounted on their controller, or they might use a smartphone app in tandem with either a VR headset or special FPV goggles to immerse themselves in the illusion of flight.

Sample drone models: Try out the effect with the monitor-based Odyssey Galaxy Titan Quadcopter Drone (from $69.99), or connect to your smartphone with the 4CH 6-Axis FPV RC Drone Quadcopter with Camera (from $69.99).

Go Racing

A more specific application of first-person technology is drone racing, which challenges players in FPV goggles to navigate courses packed with hoops, flags, tunnels, and other obstacles. The sport is young—the first U.S. championship was only held in 2015—but it's growing quickly, and leagues and courses are springing up around the country.

Sample drone models: Get the hang of it with the Walkera Rodeo 110 Indoor Racing Drone (from $169.99), or consider upgrading to the Walkera F210 3D Edition 2.4GHz Racing Drone (from $329.99) for longer battery life, better camera resolution, and a speedy 5 ms response time.

Shoot Selfies

Rolling landscapes are nice and all, but sometimes you just want a photo of your beautiful self to post on Instagram. With a drone, you could capture yourself tubing down a river from above, or take an eye-level pic from 15 feet away while you stand at the summit of a mountain hiking trail (try finding a selfie stick that can do that). There's even a name for these kinds of shots already: "dronies."

Sample drone model: Most drones with cameras can handle basic photography like this. An entry-level model might be the Contixo F10 Quadcopter Drone with HD Camera (from $119.99), which features 720p resolution, while a higher-end option would be the AEE AP10 Pro Quadcopter Drone (from $349), which comes with a 16MP/1080p camera.

Pull Off Stunts

As you might imagine, there's an art to flying drones, and the more you practice it, the more you can do. YouTube is full of compilations of drones executing front flips, backflips, barrel rolls, and other moves, though bear in mind some models make these tricks easier to pull off than others do.

Sample drone model: If you want to start practicing with cheap drones that are also easy to control, it doesn't get much better than the JetJat Nano Drone for Beginners (from $24.99), which weighs in at 0.4 oz. and is maximally responsive and maneuverable, making it one of the best drones for beginners.

Note: Many drones in the United States are required to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. Learn more about registration requirements here. Additional state and local requirements may apply. Learn more about drone regulations here.