Uses of Drones

Delivery

Product Delivery

Product Delivery

Pictured: Amazon Prime Air

Ever since there have been things to deliver, humans have been coming up with new, innovative ways of delivering items. First there was the most basic – walking. Then came horses, trains, cars, and even airplanes. Each has gradually replaced the other, but none has managed to completely replace its predecessor. So what comes next? Logically, the best thing that could be done would be an easily-made, cheaper, and faster version of the best we have; namely, the airplanes. And that’s exactly what a drone is. It can go wherever it needs to go very quickly, carrying what it needs to. And because of its size, it neither costs very much to manufacture nor is it excessively valuable, so it’s not of utmost importance to make it with the strongest possible materials.

Warehousing

Warehousing

Pictured: Wireless Warehouse Drone

If you were to walk into any grocery store, department store, or other retail store you would find people stocking the shelves. But those employees are just the tip of the iceberg; only a small portion of all stock is kept on the shelves. The rest is kept in the back room, but where does the back room get it from? Many retailers in an area will all get their supply from a single warehouse, meaning that if that warehouse isn’t as efficient as it can possibly be, many stores, and therefore their customers, will suffer. As a result, it makes sense to remove any human error with drones in the warehouses. They remove labor costs, speed up the workflow, and, perhaps most importantly, allow for the specialization of labor. Why pay one person to do 3 jobs when you can make 1 drone for each, while saving money in the long run?

Crop Dusting

Crop Dusting

Pictured: Yamaha R-MAX

Whether it’s manufacturing goods in a factory or brewing a drink in a coffee shop, you don’t want defective materials. Similarly, no one wants there to be pests and other parasites on crops that we will eventually eat. As a result, crop dusting has become very important to the public in order to make sure that our food is fresh and free of diseases. It has always cost a lot to dust crops, from renting some form of aircraft to actually decontaminating the crops. Drones, however, make both steps easier. Instead of having to transport a bulky drone from person to person based on who has rented it most recently, farmers can have a single, multi-purpose drone that helps with crop dusting and can be reused. It saves them energy and time, both of which result in profit, so it pays off in the long run.

Filming

Crop Dusting

Video

Pictured: DJI Phantom

Videos are popular. One wouldn’t think that needs to be said, but it’s important. There are dozens of software for creating videos, editing videos, and playing them. However, even though drones are just starting to take off, they’re already taking videos to new heights – literally. Imagine trying to take a video of a sports game – it can be really hard to get a good angle because you can only be on the sidelines. Drones let you take the video camera into the sky very cheaply. You can suddenly get the best shots of every moment, no matter where you are in the crowd. Drones are improving videos beyond what they ever were before.

Disaster Relief

Disaster Relief

Pictured: Search and Rescue Drones in Nepal

Natural disasters have always existed. They were there before humans showed up and they’re here now. We’ve had to deal with them throughout our entire existence on Earth. So what do we do about it? We’ve normally just taken the full force of the storm and tried to weather it as best as we could. We’d find what survivors that we could and then try to rebuild. However, finding a small person in the wreckage of a large building is a rather major challenge. That’s where drones come in. They can fly overhead, searching for survivors where we never could before. Remember the 2010 cave-in in Chile? We could have used a drone to get the status of the miners inside very quickly, enabling better communications.

Safety Inspections

Safety Inspections

Pictured: An Inspection Drone

Nearly everything is automated these days, but all the machines need upkeep. There will always be things that aren’t done quite right or need to be changed. However, there’s a limit to how far you can go as it is now. Even the most compulsive of neat freaks won’t check the tops of cabinets for dust, mainly because of the effort and time required. The same would apply to factories and companies, but regulations don’t allow for that kind of leniency. Therefore, people have to spend time and resources doing these tasks. Drones make it easier. They’re cheap, don’t require a stepstool, and can be used for other tasks. Now put drones into the same role, but for government agencies. There will be much less oversight regarding what really needs to be done. That results in a safer, happier world for everyone.

Enthusiast

Hobbyist Drones

Hobbyist Drones

Pictured: Nixie Drone

“Drone” didn’t always have the same connotation or denotation that it does today. The drones of 10 or 15 years ago were remote controlled airplanes, and they gradually evolved into what they are today. Granted, there have been those geniuses who put these toys to good use, but their fundamental purpose is and will be for entertainment. The drones that best fit these descriptions are generally those that don’t fall into the other categories. People can have fun with drones in different ways. You can enjoy flying them, collecting them, and modding them.