Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - Drones

As technologies advance rapidly, new and fascinating gadgets emerge on the market. You’ve probably heard about the drone but are you wondering about what it really is and what it’s capable of doing?

Drone is, technologically speaking, an unmanned aerial vehicle navigated manually with a remote control or operated with software that works with a GPS system. This aircraft is probably the most advanced human invention in the field of robotics and is continuously being developed and improved.

Many countries have tried to build drones for military purposes but failed because of poor technology. So far, the US and Israel remain the leading manufacturers of unmanned aircraft but India and Britain are also joining the race.

Advantages & Disadvantages of drones

Advantages: Drones are very popular because mass media networks patronize its functionality and efficiency when capturing videos and images. You will notice that drones are common in touristy areas due to travel blogger promotions. Video bloggers use drones to further increase the popularity of their videos; hence, promoting the device to other new vloggers. Travel companies use drones to maximize the tourism potential of an area that is popular to all tourists.

Disadvantages: There are concerns or troubles in drones that affects user’s navigation routine. A local government unit sometimes restricts the use of drones when there is an ongoing military conflict. Drones are also blocked from entering a restricted zone such as military facilities that are conducting experimentation and active military training inside their camps. These growing restrictions prompts drone users to consider the rules and regulations of drone usage to a certain area so that they will not be subjected to either ethical or legal violations. User violators are at risk for legal apprehension that could mandate them to pay for financial compensation or imprisonment for several days if caught violating laws.

Commercial potential

In the end of 2013, Amazon announced its idea to start using drones for delivery in the near future. The company’s plan was to introduce the Amazon Prime Air service to deliver orders of up to five pounds within a 10-mile radius in as little as 30 minutes.

Amazon states that using drones will not only make the company’s services faster but would also be a way of delivery that is much more environmentally-friendly than using trucks. More and more businesses see the huge commercial potential behind them. The Wired magazine editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, for example, decided to retire from the media and dedicate himself to the business of manufacturing unmanned aircraft.

In 2012, Anderson founded 3D Robotics, his personal drones company.  Anderson believes that drones can be hugely beneficial for a number of commercial uses. The entrepreneur said that camera drones are about to become an essential part of agriculture. Food suppliers embrace this technology because it is unparalleled when it comes to determining seeding and harvesting periods, monitoring livestock, crop damage and water supply.