(Courtesy: Wal-Mart)
Just a few years ago, drones were mostly a plaything. During the 2015 Christmas season, the futuristic flying machines were hailed as one the hottest toys.
But today, everybody from online retailers to movie producers to search and rescue operations are discovering innovative and creative ways to incorporate these high-tech airborne devices into their everyday operations.
A Technological Breakthrough
Drones could become one of the most popular workplace tools. In as little as 12 months they have moved from a marginal curiosity to a vital part of many industrial, commercial, and governmental operations.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, drones were used by rescue workers to search for survivors, assess property damage, and survey remote areas. And they are quickly breaking through traditional barriers in industries that have resisted other technological innovations.
Package delivery companies that up until recently still relied on 19th Century technology such as bicycles or even human legs for their operations are now developing plans to airdrop packages to customer’s front stoops within minutes of submitting their orders.
And it’s not just a pie in the sky science fiction fantasy. The FAA already has approved limited use of drones on an experimental basis. And in Iceland, the UK, and other countries, the flying machines are already being used to deliver medicine and other supplies to remote areas.
Drones in Entertainment
For another visible sign of the growing popularity of drones, all you need to do is to turn on your TV … or more accurately today, your tablet, smartphone or another streaming device.
Drones are now widely used in television and film production to take aerial shots that were previously too expensive to create. Rather than taking on the cost of renting a helicopter or airplane and hiring a camera crew, producers can now simply equip a lightweight drone with a high-definition camera and get as many shots as they want for a fraction of the production cost.
Today, these types of aerial pan outs are so popular that it’s rare to find a program that doesn’t use them.
TV news programs are also using drones with increasing frequency.
Other Uses for Drones
Commercial businesses, industries, and governmental bodies have come to realize that drones are cheap, fast, and effective for a whole array of uses, including:
- Express shipping and delivery
- Gathering information for disaster management
- Geographic mapping of inaccessible areas
- Building safety inspections
- Warehouse inventory
- Building safety inspections
- Border patrol
- Storm tracking
And that’s just the beginning. While still developing plans to use drones for 30-minute or less package delivery, Amazon is now looking into ways to incorporate its Alexa voice app so customers could talk to drones delivering their purchases.