At first glance they might be mistaken for toys, but these remote-controlled devices aren’t for play. Unmanned aircraft and watercraft are being put to work by NOAA scientists to gather astonishing new data from our wildlands and waterways.
![NOAA's John Durban and Holly Fearnbach release a hexacopter to photograph and gather breath samples from whales. (Image credit: WHOI/Veronique LaCapra) NOAA's John Durban and Holly Fearnbach release a hexacopter to photograph and gather breath samples from whales.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/legacy/image/2019/Jun/PHOTO-Scientists-launch-hexacopter-NOAA-071216-1120x534-landscape.jpg?itok=RHoVnVNT)
NOAA's John Durban and Holly Fearnbach release a hexacopter to photograph and gather breath samples from whales. (Image credit: WHOI/Veronique LaCapra)