What is a drone?

We have all heard the word “drone” at least once, but what is it exactly? Drones are basically unmanned vehicles and are better known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In simpler terms, it is a robot that is controlled by a remote or through a software that has specific flight plans that work within its embedded systems (sensors and GPS device), that the drone follows.

Types of drones:

Drones come in different shapes and sizes, from the predator drone that needs a runway to take off and are mainly used for military operations, to the VTOL, or the vertical take-off and landing drones which are basically your everyday drones that you must have seen or heard off. Drones such as the DJI spark are small enough to take off from your hand and are usually quad-copters.

Uses of drones:

From its creation, drones have mainly been used for military purposes. The first drone was a “Queen Bee” plane fitted with servo-operated controls that were mainly used to be flown unmanned while being shot at for military training. Drones have come a long way from there and in today’s world, the drone has a number of different uses.

Drone in the enterprise:

In 2016, Business insider forecast that drones will be creating the largest revenue from shipments by the year 2021 and is estimated to reach 29 million shipments across the globe. Drones have already started to make a name for themselves in the enterprise. With the help of IoT (Internet of things), drones are assisting agricultural companies to monitor their land and crops, helping energy companies keep a check on their operational equipment and power lines and monitoring properties for insurance companies.

Drones in the security sector:

Even though drones have been considered a violation of privacy, as they are used by paparazzi and media to take pictures of individuals in their home and other locations that are otherwise private, drones have made a massive contribution in the security sector. These drones have been deployed in dangerous locations to scope out the area without putting any human life at risk.

Concerns with regard to drones:

With the popularity and growth of drones, for both commercial and personal use, the risk of mid-air collisions and loss of control has increased. To tackle this the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has implemented a set of rules for drones, which places certain limitations on these UAVs and preventing any breach in security as well as keeping in mind any safety concerns.

With the invention of the drone, a wide range of civilian roles such as surveillance, traffic monitoring and weather monitoring, among others have now become a lot easier to accomplish. It has also gained traction for personal use, as people as using drones for photography and videography.

Setting aside the minor safety concerns and considering the limitations that have been set, it is clear to see the demand for drones growing in the years to come.