a programme that brings you an interesting topic,

authentic listening practice and some vocabulary

to help you improve your language skills.

Joining me today is Neil.

Neil: Hello. And today we're discussing those pilotless

aircraft that we seem to be hearing

and reading a lot about at the moment.

Rob: You mean drones. And yes, they are in the news

quite often for good and bad reasons.

They've been used for many things from smuggling

drugs, detecting water leaks and surveillance.

Neil: And surveillance - that means 'the act

of carefully watching someone or something' -

perhaps a criminal - but also it means spying,

maybe on me and you Rob?

So should we be welcoming

the rise of the use of drones?

Rob: Well, before our discussion about that 'takes off',

we need to set today's question for you to answer, Neil.

Neil: What are you droning on about Rob?

And by that I don't mean 'flying a drone' -

I mean 'talking too much in a very boring way'!

Rob: Thanks Neil. Now just answer this, will you?

Drones are sometimes also referred to

as UAVs. So, what does UAV stand for? Is it...

a) Unidentified aerial vehicle,

b) Unmanned aerial vehicle

or c) Unaided aircraft vehicle

Neil: Well, I'm going to go for b)

unmanned aerial vehicle.

Rob: Ok well, we'll see if you're right later on.

Now let's talk more about drones,

which, apparently, seem to be everywhere now.

Neil: But are they safe and are they necessary?

I've heard about them being a hazard to aircraft

because they've been flown close to airports.

Rob: Well, figures in 2016 showed that in the UK

there were 70 near misses involving drones.

And that's more than double the year before.

So that is a little worrying.

Neil: Yes. And there's the potential risk

of people's privacy being invaded when a drone

is flown over their property with a camera attached to it.

Rob: Ah, but those cameras are also good at capturing

some great aerial footage - that's the film

recording of the view from the above the ground.

So they're not all bad. And Dr Yoge Patel would agree.

She is CEO of Blue Bear,

which supplies unmanned planes and drones.

Here she is speaking about drones on the BBC's

Woman's Hour programme...

Dr Yoge Patel: They have the potential

to be dangerous, agreed. They also have though,

on the flip side, the ability to be a game changer

in both domestic use and in military use.

So, some of our drones are being used

for aircraft inspections. We've put our drones

into Fukishima.

Rob: So there you go Neil. There are many useful things

drones can do, and Dr Patel said

they have the ability to be a game changer.

Neil: And by that you mean 'something that

completely changes the way something is done

or thought about'.

Rob: Yes. Her company has used drones to inspect

the inside of the damaged Fukishima nuclear

power station in Japan.

And another example of drones being a game changer

is UNICEF and the Malawian government testing drones

for carrying medical supplies.

This could help save lives in remote places.

Neil: And I have read that in Australia,

lifeguards are using drones to help rescue

swimmers who get in trouble in the sea.

Rob: And have you heard about a Japanese firm

that's planning to use a drone to force employees

out of their offices by playing music at them

if they stay to work evening overtime.

Neil: I haven't, but you've convinced me -

it seems like the sky's the limit

for the uses of drones!

I mean there's no limit to what they can do.

But I am a little concerned

about how they are regulated or controlled.

Rob: Well Dr Yoge Patel says because the technology

is new, regulations - or legal controls -

are developing all the time...

Dr Yoge Patel: As technology progresses, regulation

and operational use needs to then be harmonised

with it. And we are, as a community, going through

that whole process of saying what is

proportionate and appropriate regulation

to go with different uses of drones.

Neil: So she talked about regulations being

harmonised as technology progresses.

Rob: So I think she means 'making regulations suitable

and appropriate for what the drones

are being used for'. So they need some control,

but not so they can't be useful and effective.

Neil: Like flying drones to stop you working late!

Now Rob, I'm dying to know

what the other name for a drone is.

Rob: OK, let me tell you. So earlier I asked you

what does UAV stand for? Was it...

a) Unidentified aerial vehicle

b) Unmanned aerial vehicle

or c) Unaided aircraft vehicle

Neil: And I said b) - was that correct?

Rob: Yes Neil, you know your drones - that's correct.

Well done. UAVs or drones have been around

for quite a while in different forms.

It's thought they were first used for providing

practice targets for training military personnel.

OK Neil, let's quickly go over some of the

vocabulary we have mentioned today,

starting with surveillance.

Neil: "The police kept the jewellery shop

under surveillance because they had a tip-off

about a robbery." So that means 'carefully

watching someone or something,

usually to try to stop something illegal'.

Rob: Then we mentioned aerial footage -

that's film recording made from the sky.

"The aerial footage on TV of the dolphins swimming

was spectacular."

Neil: Yes, drones have been a game changer

for wildlife programmes on TV. That means

'something that completely changes the way

something is done or thought about'.

Rob: We also mentioned the phrase 'the sky's the limit',

meaning 'there's no limit to something'.

"The sky is the limit to what professional

footballers can earn these days."

Neil: Then we discussed harmonised -

that describes two things being suitable for each other

to allow them to work properly.

"The garden has been designed to harmonise

with the natural landscape."

Rob: Very useful vocabulary, Neil.

But let's stop droning on - and that means

'talking too much in a boring way' - and remind everyone

to check out our You Tube, Facebook, Twitter

and Instagram pages - and of course, our website

at bbclearningenglish.com. See you next time.

Goodbye.

Neil: Goodbye