From Papal visits to the Oscars, it seems no event is now complete without a “selfie” to document the day. But the ubiquitous trend for the self-portrait photographs, taken on a smartphone at arm’s length, could now be usurped¹ by the “dronie” – or photos taken by a drone.

从教皇出访到奥斯卡颁奖礼现场，似乎每件大事中都少不了“自拍留念”的环节。但伸长手臂用智能手机自拍的流行趋势，或将被“无人机自拍”所取代。

According to French drone manufacturer Parrot, the burgeoning² popularity of the remote-controlled miniature aircraft is being fuelled by “narcissism” as people buy drones fitted with cameras in order to film themselves.

法国无人机制造厂商帕罗表示，因为“自拍党”们热衷购买装有摄像头的无人机，所以微型遥控飞机开始广为流行。

Unlike the selfie, which often results in the photograph’s subjects appearing squashed in at an awkward angle, the company claims the trend will result in high-quality footage. Drones of the future will be able to pilot themselves, following the subject around automatically, he said.

该公司表示，自拍照的主角通常看上去就从一个奇怪的角度塞进照片的，但无人机航拍会带来高质量的影像。他声称今后无人机能自动驾驶并自动跟随拍摄主体移动。

“It would be like having a full TV crew with you when you went snowboarding or mountain climbing,” Henri Seydoux, Parrot’s chief executive, told the Financial Times.

帕罗的首席执行官亨利·赛杜告诉《金融时报》记者，“当你去滑雪或者登山时，无人机的航拍过程就像一个电视摄制组在全方位跟拍。”

Parrot says sales of drones jumped by 130 per cent in the third quarter of the year, taking even the company itself by surprise.

帕罗指出，无人机的销售量在今年第三季度跃升了130%，连公司自身都感到意外。

“It turned out that in reality people bought the drones because of narcissism³. People want to put pictures on YouTube of them looking strong and talented, and that is why people want the cameras,” Mr Seydoux said.

“事实证明，人们因为自恋而购买无人机。‘自拍党’总想把他们丰神俊朗的照片发布到视频网站（YouTube），这就是他们想要摄像头的原因。”赛杜先生说。

Drones, or “unmanned aerial vehicles”, were once the preserve of technology specialists but have soared in popularity with models on sale for as little as £40 featuring on many must-have gift lists this Christmas.

无人机，又称“无人驾驶飞行器”，它曾是技术专家的专利，但今年圣诞节，各种型号价格低至仅40英镑（约388人民币）的无人机人气不断飙升，更成为今年圣诞节的必备礼物之一。

Their increasing mass-market appeal has however led to fears over privacy and safety. It recently emerged that a drone had come close to colliding with a passenger plane at Heathrow this summer.

然而，无人机行业的兴起也带来了隐私和安全隐患。今年夏天，一架无人机和一架客机在英国希罗斯机场上空险些相撞。