Drone technology has existed well over a millennium ago, being even more advanced in the 33rd century and utilized often for not only combat purposes, but industrial and civilian purposes as well; repair bots, scouting drones, turrets, and more can be utilized as Drone, and ultimately utilize many of the other technologies to differentiate themselves. Whether constructed out of scrap or expertly engineered, drones are sometimes obtainable by the denizens of the Fringe as a means of accomplishing objectives with ease. Though useful tools, drones still naturally have the limitations that many other engineered robots have. Drones can range in size from 8000 cm3 to 300,000 cm3. By weight, a drone could vary from 7.5lbs to 600lbs.
Perhaps one of the most limiting aspect of drones and their engineering is the need for energy; batteries are heavy and must be charged or replaced while some forms of natural power generation tend to be low output on the small space of a drone and cannot account for greater mobility requirements or weapons.
One of the sometimes cheaper and more effective means of powering drones is with batteries. Advancements in power generation and inventions such as chemical batteries and DE batteries have allowed drones to persist in operation for extended periods of time. Drones powered by batteries must carry the weight, but have a much higher energy capacity to work with. Batteries must also be recharged or replaced, a drawback that often limits the mobility of drones after their battery life has drained.
Some drones favor mobility over armor, or vice versa. A drone's composition and size determines its weight, which could make it slower or require more energy to move. Drones are most commonly made with the following materials, from least dense to most dense: ultralight plastic, light aluminum, medium durasteel, and heavy thicker durasteel, violium, thin impervium, etc.
A drone is not a drone without serving a function, and its functions are served using components; components add weight to the base chassis of a drone and also reduce the battery lifetime of a drone, whether passively from the entire lifetime or per use of the component. Particle thrusters or anti-gravity thrusters or other methods of movement require more energy to push more weight. Some components also have a minimum size class of drone that they may be put on. Here is a list of common components, though almost any electronic device could be installed on a drone:
| Component | Description |
| Battery | Batteries add lifetime to a drone, and do not generate power when used up. |
| Solar Panels | Advanced solar panels that generate power when exposed to light; must be placed on the chassis and is vulnerable to attack. Must be in contact with light and UV radiation to gain more charge. Is just a weight drag if has 0 charge and isn't in light. |
| Atomic Battery | An atomic battery, usually a betavoltaic cell. Atomic batteries produce long-lasting energy, but not much of it. They are very reliable and compact, useful for small drones with only a few components. |
| Hammerspace Module (EN Storage) | A small card module that contains an Electronegative Storage device; can output stored objects into an arm, tractor beam, etc. |
| ENDI Scanner | An ENDI scanner projector that can send out a horizontal ENDI beam pattern that captures a detailed scan of an object or specimen. Medium power. |
| Radio | A simple electromagnetic radio transmitter and receiver; also allows RC control. Must have tachyonic comms nearby to use Nexus. This component is essential for nexus connectivity, and is relatively low power. |
| Ballistic Turret | Covers a wide range of most ballistic and fuel weapons like guns, flamethrowers, and other similar techs. Most require cartridges. |
| Directed Energy Weapons | Covers a wide range of most energy weapons such as continuous laser beams (for welding or combat), plasma turrets, radiological weapons, electrical guns, and more. |
| ZPE Manipulator | A mounted tractor beam that can manipulate objects at a maximum mass of 5 kg per 5 pounds of ZPEM module weight. |
| Robotic Arm | A mounted robotic arm allows fine manipulation of nearby objects (with a hand), and can hold things or have tools attached like plasma cutters, welders, etc. |
| Silicate Hardlight Projector | A silicate hardlight projector, for whatever purpose needed. |
| Photonic Hardlight Projector | A photonic hardlight projector, for whatever purpose needed. High power typically. |
| Shield Generator | A small module stuck on the outside that creates a shield barrier. High power. |
| Particle Thruster | A small attached particle thruster is an option to grant a drone flight mobility. Must produce more thrust the heavier the drone is, costing more power. |
| Anti-Gravity Module | Anti-gravity channels on the bottom of the drone allows it to hover off of the ground. More advanced modules allow flight, at the expense of greater power use. |
| Electric Motor | Most typically used for motorized wheels, this form of ground transportation is cheaper in energy use. Can also be used for other applications such as wings, saw-blades, etc. |