Drones are everywhere … both figuratively and literally.
Millions of people received drones as holiday gifts last year, capping the best year on record for the pilotless flying vehicle industry, according to news reports.
And as Amazon finalizes testing in the UK of its automated drone delivery system for packages prior to launching the program in the US as early as this year, officials at UPS last week unveiled another innovative way to use robotic drones mounted on the roofs of their delivery drones to more than double the productivity of its drivers.
The US military has used drones for nearly a decade to perform combat missions without putting the lives of soldiers in harm’s way. And intelligence agencies use high-altitude spy drones to keep tabs on bad guys.
So is it time for other businesses to start thinking about ways to use this innovative new technology to improve their operations?
Drone Applications in Warehouses
While delivery companies like UPS and Amazon use drones to, well, deliver, there are many other applications for drones in a variety of other businesses.
A company called IM — which stands for Intelligent Flying Machines — is offering drones that can fly around inside warehouses and docks to take inventory, track products, and find missing items in hard to reach spaces. Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is among the companies that have indicated it plans to use commercial drones as part of its warehouse management system to take stock of trailers and other items areas, using electronic tagging and other techniques to track products as they make their way into and out of its mega-distribution centers.
Agricultural Drones
In factory farms stretching out over thousands of hectares of cropland, drones are used to inspect plant health, look for insect or fungus damage, and even measure water content of soil. They can even replace costly crop-dusting planes to deliver insecticides and pesticides to crops faster, more efficiently, and for less money.
Similarly, they are now being used to inspect cell towers, wind turbines, and other tall structures, eliminating the need to put workers at risk performing these potentially dangerous jobs.
Camera-mounted drones are also widely used today in film and television production to get overhead shots or to replace expensive crane and helicopter rentals.
In just a few short years, drones have infiltrated a wide variety of industries. It may be only a matter of time before they find their way into yours.