This week, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) took over Washington, DC's convention center for its annual Unmanned Systems show. Once mostly a government- and defense-focused event, the conference has ramped up in size and scope in anticipation of the Federal Aviation Administration's decision on how to "integrate" unmanned aircraft into civil airspace.

Among the thousands of companies hawking their wares at the event, there were representatives from some 25 teams of state and local authorities, each vying to make its region one of the coveted designated test locations that will be announced by the FAA in December. Some, like Oklahoma, had their own booths set up to draw support from unmanned system manufacturers.

And about the "d" word—the members of the AUVSI want us all to drop the word "drone." In the press room, the password for the Wi-Fi network was "It'snotadrone." The word drone has taken on too much political baggage, thanks to news reports of the US' drone war against terrorists. And indeed, the unmanned aircraft and other vehicles at Unmanned Systems were largely of the kinder, gentler variety, though the biggest booths still belonged to companies selling to the US military and other customers who wear camouflage.

While there were some US-based companies showing off their unmanned wares, such as startup Titan Aerospace, the conference was evidence of how much more mature overseas drone markets (there, I used that word again) really are. Because of current FAA regulations, even small drones in the range of model aircraft can't be flown commercially; so far, the FAA has issued a limited number of "Certificates of Airworthiness" (COAs) to non-federal government agencies, other public institutions, and universities. The only commercial market in the US for drones is the movie industry, which buys helicopter drones for low-cost aerial shots. "You sell one, and then you're done," a representative of one civil drone manufacturer told me.

Meanwhile, other countries, particularly in Europe, are allowing for relatively rapid adoption of small, unmanned aerial vehicles for commercial purposes. In some countries, drones have been in operation for over eight years.

Of course, when the US market does open, it will be the biggest in the world. The FAA predicts that within five years, there will be over 7,500 drones in operation in the US taking on tasks like inspecting and dusting crops, checking high-tension power lines and pipelines, providing morning traffic reports, and checking for building code violations. Maybe they'll even deliver pizza.