Commercial Drones: Numerous industries to be transformed by unmanned flight
SUMMARY
Once the preserve of massive military budgets, drones are now making significant strides in commercial industry, initiating substantial efficiency gains. Now drone technology has reached commercial relevance, and much more is predicted to follow.
A future as a vital part of infrastructure beckons, not just in maintenance but also in mobile infrastructure in isolated areas of the world. Regulations allowing, drones are entering a period of development during which many industries - most notably construction and agriculture - will very quickly look very different.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Major computer companies are getting involved, realizing the lucrative opportunities about to become commonplace. Dubbed ‘Mission Control Software’, an Intel designed system claims the capacity to handle flight planning and management, beaming back data. Now future infrastructure is beginning to be influenced by drones.
- Many industry insiders have theorized over the potential use of drones in modern society, especially those in advanced economies. Yet the ideas to have been imagined have so often been predicated upon a view of the world which includes full support from the authorities.
- Despite being worth trillions of dollars, the global construction industry is beset by problems staying on budget and completing work on time. Modern drones offer the prospect of collecting information that would have taken a human team a prolonged period to gather, but also in much greater detail than is often possible using alternative means.
- Assesses the expanding role of drones in infrastructure
- Examines the impact of advancing drone software
- Looks at the regulatory environment for drones
- Delves into the role drones could play in agriculture
- Assesses the impact of drones on the construction industry
- How will infrastructure be affected by drones?
- Will costs for industry come down?
- How will industries be directly affected?
- How are regulations impacting development?
- Can software development keep up with demand for greater capability?
Catalyst
Summary
Expanding infrastructure role of drones hints at lucrative future
Autonomous drones are nearing commercial reality, potentially transforming industry
Arrival of drones threatens to radically change how infrastructure is delivered
Advances in software are expanding drone capabilities, enhancing usage
Early dominance of DJI could be storing up problems for future software development
DJI dominance will be hard to overcome due to build-up of consumer confidence
Software improvements are propelling capability improvements
Regulatory environment is crucial for future use of drones
Regulations must enable companies and organizations to realize cost savings drones provide
Drones offer hefty savings on infrastructure maintenance
Rules governing drones must not restrict industrial application
Rules are restricting development of drone delivery services
Agriculture can gain handsomely from drones, but some doubts have surfaced
Tracking abilities of drones are set to make farming much more precise
Problems with current generation drones have emerged, setting back widespread acceptance
Hardware development is expanding the role of drones in agriculture
Construction industry making efficiency strides via drone investment
Real time aerial inspection presents significant cost and efficiency savings for an industry operating on slim margins
Stockpile observation performed by unmanned aerial vehicles will soon become commonplace
Better data gathering is speeding up communication on construction sites
Conclusions
Drones are advancing rapidly in commercial relevance as technology develops
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Disclaimer
Figure 1: Sharper Shape drone
Figure 2: Facebook, Aquila drone (artists impression)
Figure 3: DJI Mavic Air drone
Figure 4: Zipline drone, Rwanda
Figure 5: New York Power Authority drone
Figure 6: Drone wind turbine inspection
Figure 7: Amazon Prime Air drone
Figure 8: Agriculture drone
Figure 9: Bee pesticide protest
Figure 10: Construction drone
Once the preserve of massive military budgets, drones are now making significant strides in commercial industry, initiating substantial efficiency gains. Now drone technology has reached commercial relevance, and much more is predicted to follow. A future as a vital part of infrastructure beckons, not just in maintenance but also in mobile infrastructure in isolated areas of the world. Regulations allowing, drones are entering a period of development during which many industries – most notably construction and agriculture – will very quickly look very different.
How drones fit into industry of tomorrow has been subject to debate for quite some time – now possible answers are becoming clear. Facebook and others are investing in using drones as a critical element of developing infrastructure. Drones capable of staying airborne for months, beaming down 5G signals, are being lifted from drawing boards to test programs. Autonomous drones are coming closer to becoming commercial reality – the days of such capability being limited to military use are declining in number. Drones could very soon enter the mainstream in a way seemingly unimaginable just a few years ago.
