Why now:

It's the GoPro and YouTube revolution that really spurred drone growth. Tiny, high-resolution video cameras mounted to quadcopters capturing amazing videos posted online for all to see and get excited about. Which then led to more developments like 3-axis gimbals to stabilize video. Now anyone can capture smooth professional aerial footage like filmmaker Philip Bloom.

For all of human history our perspective has basically been stuck at eye-level and now for the first time in history we can see the world the way the birds do.

Chris Anderson, 3D Robotics