Today, most companies in the United States and other countries in the world have been investigating how to use technology to improve productivity in the workplace. And as manufacturing teams move closer to the hi-tech and highly productive assembly line, companies want to reduce the number of lost opportunities in production as well as shorten turnaround times.
Using a drone to visually locate problematic areas of potential concern and equipment is one way to make this happen. That is why more and more companies are finding that using drone technology for these types of applications is a cost-effective solution to streamline operations and save time and money.
Read more as we’ll talk about how an inspection drone is used in modern-day industrial applications in today’s article.
1. Civil Engineering
Nearly all the steps involved in the construction process, from planning to the actual building development, can benefit from drones. And while it’s a common practice in the industry to make use of manned aerial aircraft like planes and helicopters for project mapping and video documentation, companies also recognize that using these aircraft costs more because of the fuel and maintenance. In addition, drones are sent to check the materials and equipment on site and prevent incidents of theft from happening, which can also increase the cost of the construction project.
And that’s why engineering companies utilize drones to cut on the cost involved while conducting infrastructure inspection, monitoring soil and shoreline erosion, and constructing main roads and forest roads.
2. Agriculture
The agricultural industry makes use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for spraying rice fields, cloud seeding, and maintenance, especially in hard-to-reach areas of the field. But the use of the machines doesn’t end there as drones are also dispatched for:
- Remote moisture sensing, or identifying areas that need more spraying or seeding.
- Frost mitigation
- Mid-field weed identification
- Variable-rate fertilization dispersal so farmers can spread more fertilizer to struggling fields and less fertilizer to healthy areas.
Moreover, drones are also used to inspect areas with drought or over fertilization.
3. Energy And Utilities
Drones are flown to the sky to inspect distribution and transmission lines to check for any signs of wear and tear from storms and harsh weather. Aside from that, UAVs are also utilized so technicians can gain remote access and collect real-time information on the status of power generation over an electrical grid.
4. Oil And Gas
Oil and gas drones are utilized by the gas sector to spot oil spills, gas leaks, and monitor whale migration patterns, which are essential for assessing locations before starting offshore operations. And the usefulness of UAVs is becoming popular in this industry that drones are now predominantly used for mapping, surveying, pipeline and well inspections, even for security purposes.
5. Mining
Finally, UAVs are sent to inspect mining areas to improve the safety of workers and provide real-time information regarding the status of the mining operation.
Other than that, drones are also used to help grading control, manage stockpiles, exploration of the mining site and overall project management.