China's environmental authorities dispatched 11 drones to inspect the illegal discharge of air pollutants in six cities in the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, along with the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. The goal was to monitor companies that were likely to discharge too much waste gases.

Designers say the drones are equipped with HD cameras capable of detecting a lighter a thousand meters off the ground. Authorities are proud of the drones' effectiveness because they are not restricted by geographical conditions and are functional at night.

The 20-hour mission covered an area of more than a thousand square kilometers, where about 250 companies are located. 64 companies were suspected to have environmental issues after the inspection.