Drones for good

DRONES FOR GOOD

“Their uses offer substantial safety benefits as well as reducing operational down time.”

For many people, the jury is still out as to whether airborne drones are a force for good or a force for evil. But for all the bad press, drones have the capacity to offer up significant benefits for society which go well beyond the well publicised parcel delivery application.

The reality is that the technology surrounding drones is developing at an astonishing rate. Drones have an almost limitless capability to add significant value to many functions in society, offering up the opportunity to undertake tasks that are inherently risky for humans to carry out, or to transport items from place to place quickly and efficiently. They also have the capability to be used by our Armed Forces to undertake many functions which substantially contribute to the safety and security of our country as well as our military personnel.

Emergency services

Our emergency services are already deriving benefit from rapidly delivering transplant organs, blood or defibrillators to where they are urgently needed; or for surveillance or operational purposes, including rapid response to scenes of crime. This will relieve the use of personnel and reduce risk to the public.

Drones have a role to play in assisting with disaster planning and response such as with fire fighting, having been used successfully in the Notre Dame fire with the tactical deployment of fire fighters and equipment. There have been reported incidents of drones being employed to locate missing members of the public. Drones have also successfully dropped lifebelts to people who have been stranded at sea.

Commercial sector

Drones can be used to inspect power lines, train tracks, oil and gas pipelines and rigs, buildings and many other structures to assess safety and address issues with functionality.

Retail sector

Drones can also play a big role in understanding consumer shopping behaviour. Capturing consumer movement will be helpful for retailers in studying how to better lay out the floor space to attract customers. Drones can also ensure the floor is always stocked, bringing new items out when they see an item is starting to run low on the shelf.

“Whilst agriculture is seen as one of the country’s most historic industries, it is also at the forefront when it comes to embracing innovation. Across the UK there are excellent examples of progressive farmers who have adopted Smart Farming using modern technology, such as drones, automation and agricultural robots, to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products helping to drive efficiency and better utilise land and assets to provide new and improved income streams.

There are examples of drones taking the place of field-walking to assess crop health and identify where action needs to be taken, helping to improve crop yields and farm efficiency. Sensors and digital imaging capabilities provide farmers with an accurate picture of their fields. The expansion of drone technology continues at a pace and drones that spray are being developed to help combat pests and weeds.

Whilst we have a long way to go until this becomes commonplace, farmers are looking to create integrated working environments where people and modern technology work in tandem to create an operation that’s as efficient as it’s productive.”

Mark Charter, Head of Rural

Despite the positive benefits, drones are still viewed sceptically by many members of society. The concerns appear to be based on a lack of certainty as to capability and risk. There are also fears that drones will impact on privacy, that they will take the jobs of humans and that malicious forces will use them in an aggressive way against us. There are risks associated with allowing drones to be used in society, but these should all be capable of being addressed by a proper legislative and regulatory framework. The drone industry is working hard to drive progress towards that framework being put in place. It is equally the case that restricting the use of drones will not address malicious use. There is no longer the option to avoid the problems posed by unlawful drone use by simply banning them.

As with any new technology, the public perceptions of risk are hard to overcome, but this should not undermine the case that drones offer up real benefits to society. If properly regulated, drones have the capacity to change our lives significantly for the better.

Philip Banks-Welsh, head of Drone law sector at Royds Withy King:

“The challenge for the drone industry and the enablers of drone technology, including Government and the regulators, is to persuade the general public that drones can be a force for good. This is an increasingly difficult challenge as bad press for drones increases and is certainly not helped by incidents at Gatwick and Heathrow which highlight the negative aspects of drone proliferation. Drones are here to stay. In that context we must seize the opportunity to showcase the benefits to society which drones offer. Without public support it will be substantially harder to reap those benefits and society is likely to be the poorer for that.”