A drone is a short and popular term for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Large-scale UAVs have been used by the military for reconnoiter purposes in dangerous areas for nearly a decade. The smaller, consumer-grade models, retailed under the name of drones, became popular 2-3 years ago.

Thanks to increasing demands and the growing competition between manufacturers, at the present you can find a wide range of drones on the market.

The smallest and simplest models of drones priced at around $50, to large, well-equipped drones over $1,000.

There Is a Drone for Any Type of Use

Initially, drones were simply used in flight and maneuvering competitions. Users attempted to fly their drones as high as possible, turn them around in tight angles and perform various acrobatics.

Soon enough, drone owners realized that the device offers a wide range of possibilities if you attach a photo or video camera to it. As a response to market demands, drone manufacturers started integrating various devices and sensors into their products.

Features A Drones Can Provide Alongside

At the present you can find drones equipped with:

• 4K cameras for high definitions photographs and films
• GPS and autopilot facility which allow the user to input a route and then send the drone on its flight without supervision
• Bluetooth for live video transmissions
• Collision avoidance sensors
• Terrain follow sensors allowing the drone to fly at relatively the same height over uneven land;
• Active tracking sensors to follow a selected target, such as a bird in flight.

All these facilities made drones interesting to the business world. And, little by little, various entrepreneurs and companies started using drones to help them in their daily activities.

How Drones Can Take Your Business To New Heights?

Let us consider the supply chain business model, drones can make the entire business accessible and fast in a significant way. For instance, you can deploy a bunch of drones to maintain the delivery of goods in a remote location where there is less access to goods/services.

For instance, a UK based restaurant chain named Yo! Sushi has initiated the use of drones to serve food to its customers. Previously drones are also noted to deliver pizzas, burgers, tacos and even burritos.

So drones can typically do anything that you tailor them to do.

To begin with, here are some stunning facts of the drone industry and how the usage of drones is going to increase tremendously in just a few years. These statistics clearly convey that the usage of drones in business will grow rapidly and more businesses are on their way to start using drones for business.

Applications of Drones in Business

Drones can become a useful tool for a wide range of businesses operating in various industries. If you don’t believe me, just keep reading. I am about to highlight some industries where drones are already used by a certain number of companies.

Even if you do not find your line of business among them, remember that there was a time when businesses did not have computers, did not have websites and did not use mobile phones as basic office equipment.

1. Photography and Filmmaking

This is one of the first commercial uses of drones we have seen. First amateur; then professional photographers understood the benefit of having eyes in the sky and being capable of capturing amazing images which would have been nearly impossible to take in person.

All the beautiful skylines and bird’s eye landscapes you see on the internet are taken with a drone equipped with a professional camera. This line of business promises to remain popular for years and years to come.

As long as there is a demand for high definition aerial photography, the drones will continue to fly above us taking photos and recording videos.

Perhaps we will soon watch the first movie shot 100% with a drone!

2. Architecture and Constructions

You don’t see how drones can help architects design a building and constructors erect it.

Then let me explain how drones can help architects:

Every architectural design starts with the layout plan of the land where the building/structure will be erected. This layout plan consists of a series of drawings and photographs.

These photographs are usually taken by a surveyor standing on the ground at the location. If the land is perfectly flat, the photos are quite relevant. But if the terrain is uneven, those images will not be very helpful for the architect.

A drone taking aerial pictures of the plot of land and the surrounding buildings will enable the architect to observe all the challenges and difficulties of the area.

Thus, the design will take these challenges into account, and the resulting building will integrate perfectly with the general look of the neighboring buildings.

3. Logistics and Shipment

You may have heard already that Amazon started using drones to deliver orders to customers.

This prompted many other companies to explore ways in which drones can be integrated into the supply chain and help companies deliver their products to customers or ship parts between factories and assembly lines faster and cheaper.

There will be some time before this system becomes feasible –

• new regulations will have to be devised to determine the aerial pathways of delivery drones
• how custom duties will be applied for cross-border deliveries, etc.

But one day our highways may be less congested with heavy traffic, while merchandise will fly above us carried by logistic drones.

4. Security

Large-scale events like open-air concerts or sports matches represent a serious challenge for security agents who try to maintain law and order. They cannot see every event that warrants their intervention and have a difficult time responding to an emergency situation.

Drones are not intrusive and can patrol almost any area with maximum efficiency. They can transmit real-time images to a command center, enabling the security team to deploy agents in the most sensitive and risk-prone areas.

In March 2018, it was confirmed that the Scotland police bought three drones, each worth £35,000.

The purpose of these drones was to:

• search missing people
• track criminals
• and survey traffic incidents.

5. Search and Rescue

Search and rescue operations are difficult in most situations. Emergency alerts are most often sent by tourists in distress lost in a deep forest or injured on a difficult mountain path. Heavy snow and nighttime are additional challenges for first response teams. They need to locate the victims as soon as possible. There are situations where a few minutes’ delays make the difference between life and death.

With the help of a drone equipped with infrared cameras and GPS, search and rescue teams can locate a stranded tourist faster than sending the members to follow the signal from their mobile phone.

6. Agriculture

Drones can fly in a few minutes over a large plot of land with crops and collect a lot of critical data, such as:

• potential fungal infestation,
• the degree of hydration of the soil,
• the presence of various pests destroying the crops, etc.

This allows farmers to act quickly and reduce their losses – which could mean a total loss of the crops in serious situations.

Drones spraying in a sugar cane farm in Colombia

7. Mapping and Environmental Monitoring

Mapping services are still needed for various business or industrial purposes: real estate development, mining, drilling for gas and oil, etc. The work of a surveyor is much easier with the help of a drone, capable of mapping square miles of terrain within minutes.

Environmental workers also rely on drones to monitor deforestations or protected natural habitats where humans are forbidden from entering.

What other potential uses do you see for drones in business in the near future? Will you as a business owner use drones in your business? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

If you liked this article, don’t forget to hit thumbs up below!