Claw arms hardly make a drone look less terrifying, but they could make it more useful. That's the promise of Prodrone's latest hoverbot, the snappily-named PD6B-AW-ARM.This claw-handed drone can fly up to 6 km per hour and stay in the air for 30 minutes. Using its two five-axis robotic arms, it can lift a whopping 22 pounds, which is half the weight of the drone's airframe. The Japanese drone-maker says its eerie new toy will have a range of industrial uses, from lifting cargo to cutting cables -- but could also drop a lifesaving buoy. Perhaps most striking is the drone's ability to perch, crow-like, on a railing -- using its claw arms to balance itself. Check that out in the promo video below, and excuse us while we install anti-claw metal sheeting on our windows and rucksacks.Update 2:53 p.m. BST/6:53 a.m. PT September 14: This story incorrectly stated the amount of weight the drone can lift. Prodrone says the drone can lift 22 pounds. WikiLeaks: Here's how the CIA hacks your phones, TVs and PCs

The other answers provide an excellent overview. I will go into detail here on what consumer drones can carry.One of the smallest drones in the world, the Cheerson CX-10 | UAV Systems International can carry around 4.0-6.0 grams (0.14-0.21 oz)The Syma X8C | UAV Systems International can lift around 200 grams (0.44 lbs) of payload.The 3D Robotics X8+ | UAV Systems International can lift around 1.0kg (2.2 lbs) of payload.The DJI S900 Ready To Fly | UAV Systems International can lift around 3kg (6.6lbs) of payload.The DJI S1000+ Ready To Fly | UAV Systems International can lift around 5kg (11lbs) of payloadThe Tarot T-18 Ready To Fly Drone | UAV Systems International can lift around 8kg (17.6lbs) of payload.So these drones are an excellent choice for lifting payloads and provide a wide range depending on your requirements.Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Top Ten Reviews may earn money when you click on links. You can do barrel rolls, execute U-turns and make high-speed turns, making this drone a ton of fun to control.

The GPS receiver is sold separately. This sleek drone works for professionals that want to take advantage of the drone's two high-definition cameras, but its ability to pair with your smartphone or tablet makes it attractive for new users too.Drone 2.0 is more affordable than several other RC drones on the market, but it is still quite impressive. It has dual high-definition cameras built into its body, GPS capabilities and a brushless motor. Its value and outstanding performance are why it has received our Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award for the best RC drone.Australia may soon be the first country in the world to see commercial courier deliveries by drone, if a launch by a textbook rental service and an Australian tech start-up goes according to plan.From March next year and pending regulatory approval, students will be able to order books from Zookal via an Android smartphone app and have one of six Flirtey drones deliver them to their door in Sydney. As the drone arrives, students will be able to track it in real-time on a Google map.

After its initial launch, Flirtey hopes to then expand the service to other products and locations, even seeing potential to deliver food and drinks to people and blood to and from blood banks and hospitals in future.ar drone 2 barcelonaTextbook rental service Zookal partnered with Flirtey, a start-up born at the University of Sydney, to cut costs on deliveries. parrot ar drone serviceIf Flirtey gets the approval of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) it will be the first use of fully automated commercial drones for deliveries in the world, the company claims.parrot drone 2 max altitude Zookal's founder Ahmed Haider is confident. ar drone autopilot software

Australian regulators entered the Drone Age in 2002, when Australia became the first country to introduce legislation covering unmanned aerial vehicles, leading the world in creating rules governing civilian use of the technology.best ar drone upgradesBut whether the company can get CASA's approval remains to be seen.ar drone 2 noise "I think CASA's smart," Haider said. ar drone for sale in canada"They recognise that this is going to be one of the next multibillion-dollar industries and they're taking a sort of proactive rather than reactive approach in laying the foundations for the new industry. So I'm pretty sure … they're onboard."CASA confirmed it had been corresponding with Zookal but an application had not yet been lodged.Melbourne's Metropolitan Fire Brigade already uses drones to survey emergency situations and is one of the 56 operators in Australia who have a licence to operate one.  

In one recent example, it used a "CyberQuads" drone to survey a truck hanging precariously from a freeway in Melbourne's north in March. Animal rights activists have also used them to spy on farmers, while Channel Nine's 60 Minutes used one when it flew over Christmas Island's immigration detention centre. The craft later crashed into the sea. Another crash occurred earlier this month when a drone collided with the Sydney Harbour Bridge.A number of companies have attempted to get the drone delivery idea off the ground. Domino's Pizza sent its "DomiCopter" on a test flight in June in Britain. also proposed to deliver tacos in San Francisco's Bay Area using drones, but commercial drones aren't yet a possibility in the US and Britain.The US Federal Aviation Authority acting administrator, Michael Huerta, recently said the agency was poised to realign itself to prepare for the coming explosion of drones. It will begin granting personal and commercial licences in 2015 and estimates that there could be as many as 30,000 drones flying around the US by 2020.Unlike many amateur drones, such as the AR.

Drone, which are steered with a remote control, Flirtey will be autonomous and use "collision avoidance" technology to avoid birds and buildings. It will fly high enough to avoid pedestrians and below 122 metres."We use laser range finders in terms of mapping out spaces as well as sonar technology," said Haider. "So it doesn't actually have a physical camera. It's connected to GPS on the users' mobile phone."The delivery mechanism allows for textbooks to be safely lowered to the customer without the drone having to leave its hovering height of about three metres. If gentle force is applied to the drone's lowering cord, the parcel is released.It has built in redundancy, including a back-up battery, and can also continue to operate if one rotor blade fails.The drones — which can carry up to 2 kilograms — will significantly reduce the cost of delivering textbooks. Same day postal delivery in Australia can cost up to $29.95, a cost Zookal absorbs, but Flirtey will cost just $2.99.The drones will also reduce waiting times to as little as two to three minutes, the company claims.