Chris Johnson, Managing Director, SMB Bearings, UK, explains the challenges and opportunities when using drones to monitor and inspect oil and gas pipelines.
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bee can travel over five miles and then remember its way home, despite possessing a brain the size of a pinhead. Scientists have been putting them in virtual reality simulators to help improve unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone technology. While the honey bee currently has the edge, drone technology is catching up. The small UAV market was worth approximately US$2.84 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow to US$11.3 billion by 2027, according to Precedence Research.1 Currently, around 70% of this market is made up from rotary blade type UAVs. For the oil and gas drone service market specifically, ReportLinker has forecast a 60% compound annual growth rate between 2020 and 2025.2
Drones are being employed in a wider range of sectors and for myriad purposes. As a technology that was nurtured by the military, it is no surprise that they are widely used in defence applications. In 2018, they were even used in an attempted assassination of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.3 Less sinister uses of the technology include assisting with policing, fire-fighting, search and rescue missions and delivery of medical supplies in remote locations. The technology has also
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