Whenever we hear the word ‘drone’, our minds instantly picture missiles, battlefields, and destruction. However, in recent years, drones are being used in ways that have nothing to do with the military. They are becoming increasingly popular in commercial, scientific, agricultural, recreational, and other fields.
Drones are, in the simplest terms, aircraft without a human pilot on board. They are either operated by people with remote controls, or by independent methods using onboard computers. The term ‘drone’ is mostly utilized by the general public and was coined about the resemblance of the sound of these aircraft to that of the male bee.
In today’s world, drones are most commonly used for aerial photography. Scientists have recently started using drones to accumulate better pictures and footage for scientific research, such as pictures of lava lakes which would normally be too hot to go near. Nevertheless, numerous interesting and practical new methods to utilize these aircraft are being discovered almost every day. In recent news, Amazon, an internet-based retailer, has revealed its ‘Octocopter’ package delivery project. The company is testing drones that can deliver items in no longer than an hour after the online purchase. Amazon isn’t the only major organization exploring the usage of drones to make local deliveries. Companies like FedEx, DHL and Domino’s also seem to be looking into the matter.
With every new and revolutionary technology, comes equally terrifying drawbacks. Due to the sudden popularity of drones, and all the newly opened possibilities of package delivery, there were countless reports from around the world of drones being used to smuggle illicit goods onto prison grounds. Corrections officials from the United States, Canada, Russia, Thailand, Australia, England, and Greece have all reported an increase in the last few years of drones flying over penitentiary walls to deliver items such as cigarettes, drugs, and weapons to inmates.
In regards to the growing popularity, only a few hundred people worldwide have invested in drones, but due to more opportunities for commercial usage of these aircraft, statistics suggest a rapid increase of these machines in the sky. Aerial photography and package delivery are among the common uses of drones, but there are several modern applications these unmanned vehicles are excelling in. Here are five uses of drones you didn’t know existed:
CHASING TORNADOES
The best thing about drones is that they can travel to places where nobody ever could, without risking human life. This is why NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Northrop Grumman, a global security company, teamed up on a three-year experiment to use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, in other words, to keep track on storms as they evolve. The drones that are being employed in this project can fly for 30 hours and a distance of 17,700 kilometers with their 116-foot wingspans. Drones have already mbeen used to fly above hurricanes Gaston, Hermine, Karl, Matthew, and Nicole.
While flying above these storms, the unmanned vehicles send out probes that automatically transmit information about their surroundings. All the data collected and sent out by these drones assist forecasters in predicting the intensity and path of current as well as future hurricanes. The ability to scan large oceanic areas by the drones have also proven to be beneficial for environmental assessment and forecasting. They also help predict and alert emergency personnel about the damage being left by the storm in its wake, without risking lives in dangerously uncertain conditions.
In addition to helping forecasters get a better and more accurate understanding of dangerous storms, drones are among the very best tools for performing search and rescue operations and saving lives. Recent research has proven that drones are a quicker way of finding and saving the lives of those affected by the storms, with improved outcomes, replacing single house-by-house search and rescue operations.
In other news, drones can be used to accurately evaluate changes in the road systems and landscape following earthquakes by creating a 3D map, which can, in turn, inform the rebuilding efforts of major infrastructure such as roads and bridges and the way they have changed or shifted after the disaster. They can also monitor the health of infrastructures like energy plants and oil production facilities well before the area is safe for people to access.
In the future, as regulations are made more flexible regarding drone delivery, drones could also be used to deliver clean water, food, and medical supplies to disaster-stricken areas.
THE WAR FOR WILDLIFE
In the global fight against poaching, extra help in the sky could make all the difference. Poaching is a violent crime against wildlife. It is defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals. Each year, thousands of animals are being killed illegally worldwide. The carcasses, bones, tusks, and horns of the animals being killed are considered highly valuable in the black market. The industry keeps growing on a daily basis, taking the lives and ensuring the endangerment of many animals.
Elephants and rhinoceroses are among the many animals vulnerable to illegal trafficking, particularly in the Asian and African regions. Aerial surveillance in remote areas like this is already acting as wildlife police, tracking poachers as well as scoping out cases of illegal fishing, hunting, and burning. Drones are proving to be more effective at wildlife monitoring and protection than humans. Unlike groundwork by scientists and conservationists, drones can get close to the wildlife without startling them, and collect accurate pictures and data.
FEEDING FUTURE GENERATIONS
Scientists and farmers have recently coined the term ‘precision agriculture.’ It can also be referred to as satellite farming and is the agricultural concept of using precise application of inputs and machinery to make production more efficient. In recent years, increases in using drones for agricultural purposes have been recorded.
Farmers are using these unmanned vehicles for the benefit of 3D mapping for soil analysis before planning out seed planting patterns. They are also useful in shooting pods with seeds and plant nutrients into the ground, as well as spraying the crops, giving farmers the benefit of quicker plantations, even coverage, and lesser work. With the help of thermal sensors, drones can also accurately identify the areas that are dry or need improvement, and immediately take the necessary steps.
SECURITY PATROL
In today’s world, public safety is of great significance. As a form of air support, helicopters have been used traditionally. However, as technology advances, drones are seen as a quicker, more cost efficient and just as successful alternative. Due to their smaller size and quieter nature, UAVs are used for building security, border patrol, prison surveillance, civil security, traffic monitoring, and even police and private investigations.
The advantage of unmanned systems is that they can provide overviews which require several cameras, enter confined spaces and produce little noise. Usually, drones are also equipped with night vision cameras and thermal sensors, making this system more applicable and effective. They can easily be camouflaged and deployed quickly, with reduced risk to human life in dangerous situations.
THE FUTURE OF SPORTS
As regulations allowing the widespread commercial use of drones are becoming simpler with time, the sports industry are recognizing their potential in terms of live sports coverage. UAVs are manageable and cost effective, and can easily get closer to the scene, making them a much more convenient alternative to cable cameras. Setting up these cable-suspended camera systems can be tough and expensive, and are often limited in their ability to cover all vantage points.
The use of drones in live sports coverage is slowly expanding. The drones have recently been utilized in the 2014 Olympics to cover skiing and snowboarding events. The have also been used to film Formula One races, the X Games, cricket matches and football games as well as extreme sports events such as surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding. Drone are currently exploring the safest and most efficient ways to integrate drones into lives broadcast and revolutionize the way we watch our favorite sports.
