2017 will bring novelties that will set the pace of the drone industry for the coming years. Expected novelties for this coming year will drive the challenges and the key opportunities for drone manufacturers, avionics & autopilot manufacturers, service providers, investors, etc.
Main 2017 novelties UAV autopilots market
Legality of BVLOS and night operations with drones
In 2016, new legislation has been published throughout the world affecting the commercial use of drones, such as “Part 107.” This legislation opens the way for popularized use of drones, but certain operations, like nighttime or BVLOS (Beyond the Visual Line of Sight) missions, are still not allowed. Therefore, by 2017, it is expected that legislation will continue evolving and allow this kind of operation to be performed. Specifically in Denmark, the first BVLOS commercial license has already been granted.
Emergence of new drone applications and technologies
Drones are already in use in many industries. It permits to monitor and control productivity in the production process and enables aerial images in a fast and easy way… In fact, other fields are being developed. In the example, mining and construction have already presented UGV drones for the transport of waste and debris. Also, road safety will be improved thanks to drones; they will be seen monitoring traffic in traffic jams and looking for drivers who do not comply with traffic regulations. During 2016, Amazon made its first test for a delivery with a drone, and by the end of 2017, the government of Canada expects to have its own delivery service.
Improvement of the components installed in drones
As it usually happens, and due to supply and demand, together with the increase of competition, in 2017 we will be able to appreciate a price decrease of drone components proportional to the improvement of their performance. This trend has been seen throughout 2016 with the arrival of drones with 4K high definition cameras, increased endurance, improvements in navigation, etc.
To conclude, we must indicate that nowadays there are products that are already prepared for the expectations of the market and its novelties in 2017, as is the Veronte Autopilot 1x. Compatible with the integration of infrared cameras, adaptive flight control, BVLOS, 4G, and satellite communications, the definition of customizable routines for all kinds of applications, etc.
