The drone, sometimes called an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), was originally used as a reconnaissance aircraft by several military factions in the world. But today, drones are seen almost everywhere as the aircraft started to become available to the public. From taking beautiful shots at weddings to surveying buildings that are under construction, the drone now serves different purposes for various professions and even for leisure.
Because of its versatility, there are some uses for the drone that you wouldn’t even think that it is capable of. These are some of the most fascinating and unique uses for drones.
Animal Conservation
In an effort to improve the conservation of animals in the wild, a group called Conservation Drones is working with the government of several countries like Malaysia and Indonesia to provide UAVs to watch the movement of endangered animals in their habitat.
Drones will allow conservationists to monitor the animals without disturbing them, which usually happens they monitor on-foot. In addition, since the drones are flying so high in the air, animals won’t even be able to notice them, so they would be able to go about their lives peacefully without feeling the constant fear of someone following them.
Weather Monitoring
Another great use for drones is tracking the weather, as it is a much safer way of gathering data for storms than letting human researchers go near dangerous areas. One of the pioneers of using drones for weather monitoring is NASA and their Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel 3 program, which started in 2014 and aimed to study and investigate the patterns of storms in the Atlantic Ocean basin.
For the program, NASA used two Global Hawk UASs that can flight higher than 55,000 feet and can stay up in the air for up to 30 hours. By using these drones, weather forecasters will be able to determine the location and the trajectory of storms faster and with better accuracy.
Agriculture
For more than 30 years, Japan has already utilized the drone as a pesticide spreader in several farms around the country, and the drones can also perform other tasks on the farm that can truly make any farmer’s job easier. It is reported that about 30% of Japan’s rice has been touched by a drone, which proves that the aircraft is starting to become popular in the country’s agriculture industry.
Most of Japan’s agriculture drones are made by Yamaha, and these drones are specially made to spray pesticides and watch over crops in the field. Upon seeing that farms in Japan are utilizing drones effectively, many farms in other countries started to use drones as well.
Inspection in Construction
Drones with cameras are being used by construction companies to inspect different parts of a building. With the help of drones or UAVs, there is no more need for inspectors to go to those areas and possibly endanger their lives. A company in the United States called Kespry had developed several drones that are not only used for inspection but also for conducting surveys and creating 3D models of what the building or infrastructure will look like once it is finished.
Many construction experts are currently figuring out if drones can help workers construct a building itself. We may be able to see drones that are able to lay the foundations for houses and bigger structures in the future.
Virtual Journalism
In order to become more transparent in reporting the news to the people, the Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is developing drones that are capable of providing a 360-degree view of any news coverage for audiences.
These journalism drones are helpful for those who wanted to know more about what’s happening during road accidents and natural disasters that may affect them at home. Moreover, reporters can use the drones to see the situation in dangerous areas so that they, along with their cameramen, won’t have to go near there.
Shipping
Since drones can fly anywhere, they may also be capable of delivering items anywhere, as long as the items are not too heavy. In 2016, Amazon announced that they are going to utilize drones for Prime Air, which is a delivery service wherein drones will be able to give your items to you in just a short time because it won’t get stuck in traffic since it flies high in the air.
However, the Prime Air service is said to be only applicable in non-urban areas where there are not a lot of power lines and telephone lines that can damage the drones. One of the first drones that Amazon is experimenting on to perform deliveries is the DJI Phantom that can carry small parcels inside the small box at its bottom.
Window Cleaning
Window cleaning is arguably the simplest job that a drone can do, but this task can be quite dangerous for those who are cleaning windows in high-rise buildings. Some of the most popular window-cleaning drones include the Sullivan 5000, a drone built in the UK that was made available to the public by the Sullivan Window Cleaning company in 2016, and the Window Cleaning Drones that has special frames with built-in window cleaners.
Medical Emergencies
Used to bring first aid kits and provide medical assistance, medical drones are much faster in providing aid than ambulances, but they wouldn’t be able to bring any injured person to the hospital because of their small size. However, the medical drones can be used by hospitals to give medicine to those in need and alleviate their pain before the ambulance arrives on the scene.
Despite its effective use, medical drones are still not present in hospitals today because of their tight budget, and drones can often cost a lot of money, especially if they are custom-made to perform specific actions. The Delft University of Technology, which is located in the Netherlands, are still hoping that their Ambulance Drone, which will serve as the first medical drone in the world, will receive funds from the government and several hospitals in the country so that they can continue their research on how to build the best medical drone.
There may be more unique uses for drones that will be developed in the future, and you can already see in this article that drones are capable of making anyone’s job easier and safer. We hope that some of the programs and services mentioned will receive proper backing from the government or private companies so that they can become fully operational.