Pro-Drone, a Portuguese startup recently made it to the news headlines by deploying drones in the maintenance of wind turbines. Instead of human engineers who need to inspect technical glitches in wind turbines by dangling from helicopters, drones are being used as an automated solution for addressing and resolving these issues without putting anyone at risk. The drones that have been engineered by Pro-Drone are programmed to fly at a certain height to monitor each wind turbine from a safe distance, yet reaching much closer to the object than the human eyes can reach. These drones also come with sensors that capture data and that data is directly sent to a software program for analysis.
Pro-Drone’s innovation is a great example of how one futuristic technology holds hands with another. Wind turbines have long secured a place in the alternative energy discourse and there are scientists who believe these turbines can be a definitive solution to the global energy crisis which is slowly shaping up before our eyes. Drones made by the company have effectively lowered the operating costs, streamlined monitoring and maintenance, and reduced chances of technical glitches.
What Is A Drone?
Though most of you might be aware of what a drone is, here’s a standard definition of drones for a quick recap. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs that can be controlled remotely and are used for “dull, dirty and dangerous” missions in military parlance. However, drones are also being used for recreational and civil applications of late.
Drones can fly high or low, come in many sizes, can be noisy or noiseless, and can be clearly visible or completely invisible. You can add sounds, lights, robotic arms, microphones, sensors, cameras, and whatnots to a drone. Flying drones can also stick to one wall of a building, float on a river or lake, dive into the water, climb trees, jump onto an object, stick to the sides of airplanes, trains, and ships. In short, a drone can be one single device with the attributes and capabilities of many devices.
Where Is Drone Technology Taking Us?
Like many other landmark innovations, drone technology was first used in military applications. However, drones have successfully made inroads into civic and recreational applications in recent times. Intelligent use of technology has benefitted sporting, agricultural, security, and entertainment activities. Commercially viable drones have crawled into our lives, slowly but surely.
Drones are versatile, hence can be used in or as earthquake warning systems, tornado, and hurricane monitoring systems, avalanche and flood warning systems, and so on. Drones, if coupled with thermosensors, can be used in avalanche rescue operations. Poacher drones can be used for preventing the illegal hunting of animals. Drones can also be used for reporting meaningful activities and updates in real-time to reporters and news channel correspondents. Also, the drone’s aerial photo and video capturing capability can be effectively used for live reporting from disaster-hit areas.
Drones have already been used in topology surveying, thermo-imaging of buildings, construction monitoring, pirate monitoring in open seas, and geological surveying. These days, farmers use drones to capture live videos of vineyards to guesstimate ripening and harvesting time. Drones are also being used for spraying crops with water or fertilizers.
Drones are also offering some hope for the Arctic Area oil spills that have irreversible environmental impacts. Apart from that, Drones are being used for surveying archeological sites.
Drones are increasingly being used in modern-day sports events as well. Through the use of drones, broadcasters have been able to capture moments that cannot be covered by stationary TV cameras. Videographers are using drones for capturing incredible photos and videos and the new technology has also made the job of sports match officials easier than ever before.
Undoubtedly, drones have opened up endless possibilities for commercial lives and surely taking humanity towards a better tomorrow. It is now to see how drone technology can shape up a better future for us, the humans, with our feet on the ground.
What Will Drones Do For Us In The Future?
Drones are no longer the ‘for military use only’ devices. They could very well be the next big thing in the world of the tech revolution. Here’s taking a look at what drones could do for us in the near future. In Japan, Yamaha RMAX drones have been in use since the 1990s for spraying and seeding crops. The technology has been embraced by Australian and South Korean agricultural workers. We can safely predict that the use of drone technology in the agricultural sector is the next big thing we are going to see in a couple of years.