Drones are Joining the Robots in 3D

In IEEE Spectrum:  The drone empire of the future?  Robotics will, more commonly, be operating in 3D.   " ... Small unmanned aerial vehicles are changing from toys into tools, as businesses worldwide awaken to their importance. "At first, investors thought drones were not a market," says Chris Anderson, the former Wired editor and CEO of 3D Robotics, a maker of robotic aircraft. "Then, around nine months ago, they realized they were one." Last year, Anderson’s company got $30 million from venture capitalists. That second round of funding came on top of $6 million raised a year earlier and will help 3D Robotics gear up for the commercial market that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is preparing to allow. And while his company bulks up, Anderson hopes that its roots in the amateur, DIY community will keep it close enough to the market to let it fend off the competition. "Now the question is, will we be the leader?" .. ."