drone delivering a package

Using Drones Is Not All Fun And Games

June 27, 2024Technology Article

For many people, the thought of a drone will bring about ideas of young people getting a small flying device for Christmas, using it to film their house from above or to fly around the living room terrorising grandma.

Those that have watched recent films from the likes of Michael Bay will soon have realised that the director was delighted to figure out that he could shoot action scenes using drones, with the camera flying up, down, around and everywhere. Even Disney have started to use drones with colourful lights for their displays instead of fireworks. Drones aren’t just used for fun reasons, though, as many will realise.

What is a Drone?

Drones can be referred to in numerous different ways, usually with an acronym of some sort. Most importantly, drones have no passengers or crew and are manned by someone that is typically based at ground level. They are capable of sustained flight in a controlled manner, which allows them to do all sorts of things in a safe manner.

There are numerous different types of drones, from multi-rotor ones through to those with fixed wings and others that are sent on their way via propellors. Depending on which type of drone you’ve got, you might need a licence to fly it or simply an operator’s ID, depending on where you’re flying it and what you’re doing.

Drones as Weapons of War

war drone

Things akin to early versions of drones were used by Allied forces in the Second World War in order to try to spy on German forces. Obviously as the technology has improved, the use of drones has altered and changed. Nowadays they’re referred to as Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles, piloted by humans in order to do everything from take photos of enemy encampments through to dropping bombs on people unseen.

To many, they are not ‘fair’ weapons of war, given that the enemy won’t even know they’re there until it’s too late. Others would turn to the phrase ‘all’s fair in love and war’ as justification for their usage around the world.

Police Drones

police drone

A step to one side of the military use of drones is when they are used by police forces. In these instances, the drones aren’t used to kill anyone but rather to track criminals without their knowledge. This might be for when people are on the run, for example, or it might be if it is known that they’re going to meet someone else and therefore tracked to lead the authorities to a ‘bigger fish’.

Similarly, if the police are confident that someone is in a certain area then a drone can be used to offer an overview of the situation. They can also offer a visual of a scenario from high up, meaning that police can do something such as break into a property knowing the drone will track any runners, for example.

Using Drones to Set Up Pop-up Mobile Networks

One of the biggest issues that mountain rescue services often have is that the people that they’re trying to rescue can’t communicate with them because mobile phone service is so patchy in the sort of remote areas that people get lost or injured.

Similarly, only the drone operator can see the images from the drones. One solution to this is to use drones to set up pop-up mobile networks, allowing the operators to feed images to those trying to do the rescuing so they know exactly what they’re looking for and where they’re looking. Those being rescued can also use the network to report their situation to those that are coming for them.

Goods Delivery

Some might argue that getting good delivered by drone fits into the ‘fun’ category. Certainly the idea of a drone dropping by your house with your latest delivery from Amazon or Tesco is quite exciting. It can be used for more than just amusing things like that, however. For starters, many of the roads up and down the country are packed with delivery drivers, so taking the pressure off on that front can’t be a bad thing.

There are also some things, such as medicines, that need to be delivered much more quickly than a delivery driver in a van can manage. Using drones to deliver things where possible can speed up many processes, including getting things to more remote areas.

Drones in Wildlife

Within reason, drones can be fitted with almost anything. As a result, the likes of GPS systems and thermal imaging cameras can be attached to drones and used in order to monitor and track endangered species. Their movements can be tracked without them being spooked by the presence of humans, with some companies in Mexico even going so far as to re-purpose taxidermy birds as drones for conservation efforts.

When it comes to wildlife, the more that human interference can be minimised the better projects are likely to go, which is why using something that can be miles away from the action but still provide a clear picture is great news.

Whale Research

whales

Similar to the use of drones in wildlife is the use of the devices to track whales in their natural habitat. Some of them have been equipped with hydrophones and special cameras in order to monitor them, not only filming their movements but also recording their vocalisations.

It allows scientists to gather crucial information on the likes of their migration patterns, their behaviour and the dynamics of the whale populations in a way that simply couldn’t be done tracking them with boats. Drones allow for a more wide-focus view of the creatures, which is why their use is so crucial in researching and understanding them.

Safety Inspections

When a bomb is reported somewhere, there is a reason why it tends to be a remote-controlled robot that goes to investigate. Keeping people as safe as possible is vital in all circumstances, so the possibility of using a drone to do something such as inspect power lines is an obvious win in terms of safety.

Similarly, using a drone to inspect a building that looks as if it might collapse at any moment is a much more sensible way of doing it than putting a human at risk. It doesn’t even have to be particularly risky things that are inspected using a drone. If a house’s roof needs to be inspected, for example, then turning to drones makes complete sense.

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