Traditionally, the uses of drones are associated with aerial photography or video recording; today, the unexpected uses of drones have applications that are transforming entire industries and solving problems that once seemed impossible.
Drones for Biodiversity Conservation
Conservation of wildlife and plants is one of the fields where drones are playing a revolutionary role. In remote or hard-to-reach areas, drones enable large-scale monitoring, detection of invasive species, and tracking of endangered animals. For example, in the Amazon, drones are used to monitor deforestation and conduct animal censuses using non-invasive methods. Additionally, drones equipped with thermal cameras allow tracking nocturnal species without the need for human presence.
Biomimetic drones can also be used for controlling bird pest populations, capable of scaring them away using fear tactics, thus protecting crops without harming the birds.
Drones for Ocean Cleanup
Plastic is one of the biggest environmental problems, and some innovative projects have begun using drones to assist in its collection, especially in hard-to-reach places such as rocky shores or areas where waste is dispersed in the sea. Companies like The Ocean Cleanup are using drones capable of navigating the waters and collecting floating waste, which promises to be a crucial tool in the fight against marine pollution.
Medical Evacuation Drones
There are projects like IMEDCAP, which aim to revolutionize the detection, identification, extraction, treatment, and evacuation of severely injured and potentially contagious personnel in a completely autonomous manner. The project proposes designing and developing a rescue system that facilitates autonomous detection of injured personnel, automatically defining an evacuation and rescue strategy, and providing initial treatment in an interoperable patient box equipped with diagnostic and intervention equipment, all during transport under remote control.
Drones for Logistics and Warehouse Management
Logistical control is a key component in the development of a modern industry. Currently, there are projects where drones enable efficient and automated stock control in warehouses. One such project is Colibri, a collaborative logistics and asset control system in which the drone has an indoor positioning system for obstacle detection and avoidance, allowing it to function in drone swarms for purposes such as search, inventory, and traceability. This can reduce time and costs, allowing a fleet of drones to operate continuously, automatically, and simultaneously.
Technological Advances in Drone Use
Embention, with its focus on innovation, has been a key player in this advancement, providing solutions that enable drones to perform increasingly complex and precise tasks. Among their most notable products are the Veronte Autopilot flight control systems in their various versions, such as Veronte Autopilot 1X, 4X, and DRX, which have been designed to deliver exceptional performance across a wide range of applications.
