UAVs are being used for a number of civilian
and commercial purposes, from photography and videography, survey and mapping,
inspections, transport to network swarming where drones work together to complete
a task. This article discusses some of UAV’s current commercial applications
and the risk that the growth of UAVs poses on the public.
Agriculture and Wildlife
UAVs can be
used to monitor many aspects of agriculture. Apart from offering an aerial inspection
of the crops, drones can help in inspecting soil erosion and other parameters
that are hard to observe from the ground. Japanese were the first people to
have used this technology for agricultural purposes. There are many types of
drones that are being used in the agriculture sector nowadays. In addition to
agriculture, drones can prove to be quite helpful in forestry too. They can
take photos of the forests as well as the wildlife present in them to keep a
steady count of the animals living in there. Moreover, they can be used to
assist in putting out forest fires that may erupt from time to time.
Earth Sciences
Although various
satellites are being used for studying different aspects of earth there is still
need for aerial inspections to completely understand weather phenomena. The use
of drones in this field can help in this regard and make it a lot easier for
scientists to predict climate and weather changes more accurately.
Security and Law Enforcement
The borders
as well as internal security can be very well taken care of with UAV
technology. Drones can also play a crucial role in law enforcement too. They
can be used for assisting the police in catching criminals and collecting evidence,
search and rescues, surveillance and more.
Commercial Sector
Drones may
replace manned vehicles in the commercial field as some services have little
need for human involvement, including transporting commodities from one place
to another with ease.
Despite all of the promise that UAVs
have shown, the commercial use of these aerial vehicles is still in its initial
developmental phase. You may not see transport activities being carried out with
the help of UAVs in the near future because of the risks they pose.
Safety Risks Related to UAV Transport
It is the duty of the national
airspace authority to make sure that the airspace remains safe. However, UAV
transport poses a great threat to airspace safety as it is extremely hard to
control the drone’s flight pattern especially when it is flying into an area
where various airplanes carrying passengers and goods are present. The following
are some of the safety risks that may arise because of UAV transportation.
Air Collisions
The risks of air collisions increase
when an airborne vehicle is not operated by a sensible and trained pilot. So,
when we are talking about a UAV which isn’t controlled by any pilot, the
chances of a collision happening in the air multiply greatly. While the pilot
of a manned aircraft can detect the presence of vehicles flying in their
vicinity and take evasive action quickly, a drone cannot make that call unless
it is directed to do so from the ground. Thus, UAVs are more likely to get
involved in an air collision than piloted aircrafts. Unless this safety issue is
resolved, the future of UAV transport looks questionable.
Ground Collisions
It is not only the collision of the
UAV with other aircrafts in the air that may cause great damage. Drones can
collide with objects on the ground too, causing damage to both people and their
properties. There is always a possibility of the UAV going berserk due to loss
of signal from the operator or some technical fault in the system. This will
pose a risk of the UAV falling from the air and crashing in a populated area.
This may lead to the debris entering the houses or people getting killed as a
result of the direct impact. This, however will depend on various factors such
as,
·
The population size
·
The size of the debris
·
The reliability of the vehicle
·
History of failure of the device
System Reliability
When it
comes to relying on the devices and gadgets solely based on technology there is
always an apprehension because of the history of failures that one has seen
through the years. UAVs controlled from the ground that are operated using
human intelligence can be manipulated as the on-ground pilot take decisions
based on the situation. However, such systems too have been seen to crash and
become the major cause of loss of lives during transport. The most common reason
for accidents of this sort has been failure of various parts and machinery of
the aircraft. So, when it comes to leaving decision making to machines that
only operate as per pre-fed instructions, the risk of accidents increases many
folds. It will take a lot of research and analysis to produce a system that is
reliable in future. However, as of now the use of UAVs is still under
observation and it will take many more years for them to share the airspace
with manned aircrafts.
Insurance Issues
Getting insurance is also an
important issue as people find it extremely hard to get their drones insured.
The main problem cited by many insurance providers is the susceptibility of the
system to failure. In addition to this, the safety issues related to the UAVs
is another concern why insurance companies are reluctant to insure these aerial
vehicles.
Privacy and Security Issues
Privacy is a major concern associated
with drone use as no one wants UAVs peeping into their homes while flying past
them. Moreover, the UAVs themselves are not very safe and can be hacked any
time. If a drone is hacked by terrorists then they can use it for their
ulterior motives, risking the life of millions.
So, because of all of these issues and
concerns, governments all over the world are reluctant to go forward with UAV
transport for now.
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