The menacing robotic mechanisms that comb our skies, crawl our lands, and surf the waters of the world are known to be great tools for spying and killing. One CEO hopes to take advantage of the technology, only from a commercial perspective.

In 3D Robotics CEO Chris Anderson’s future vision of the world, drones will collect detailed data for industrial applications and fly above an individual’s head like a pet bird.

With the Federal Aviation Administration set to release rules for commercial dronesby 2015, that future is coming fast. 3D Robotics wants to be ready when it does. It will be aided by the $30 million it received today in Series B funding.