Small UAV: The Emerging Role of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Commercial Applications

 

Small UAV

Small but Mighty: An Overview of sUAV Technology

Small unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as sUAVs or drones, are unmanned aircraft that have a takeoff weight of less than 55 pounds. While their size may be relatively diminutive compared to larger UAVs, sUAVs pack advanced technologies that enable them to serve an increasingly wide range of commercial applications. Some key technological capabilities of modern sUAVs include advanced autopilot systems, high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging sensors, precision GPS navigation, automated flight path planning and obstacle avoidance. These systems allow sUAVs to be remotely piloted or fly autonomously according to pre-programmed commands.

Expanding Use in Aerial Imaging

One of the most common commercial applications for Small UAV is aerial photography and videography. By mounting a camera gimbal and high-resolution camera underneath the aircraft, sUAVs can capture detailed images and videos from the air. This has enabled new opportunities for real estate, construction, and film/television production companies. Real estate agents, for example, can use sUAVs to photograph properties from above, capturing more of the landscape in a single shot compared to ground level photos. Construction project managers routinely use sUAV imaging to monitor job site progress, inspection infrastructure, and document environmental permitting compliance. Meanwhile, Hollywood studios have begun deploying sUAV camera drones for bird's eye establishing shots and action sequences due to their ability to get angles not possible with ground cameras or traditional aerial platforms like helicopters.

Inspection & Monitoring Across Industries

In addition to imaging, sUAVs are starting to transform how critical infrastructure and industrial facilities are inspected. Using cameras, thermal sensors, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) payloads, sUAVs can autonomously survey assets in the energy, utilities, and agriculture sectors. This allows inspectors to identify maintenance issues, leaks, damaged equipment or stopped machinery much faster than traditional manual inspection methods. Some utilities are even testing sUAVs equipped with sensors that can automatically detect power line or pipeline abnormalities. In agriculture, sUAVs help farmers monitor crop growth, scout for pests/disease, and support precision irrigation of vast land areas. When equipped with attachments like multi-spectral cameras, sUAVs can even estimate crop yields much earlier in the growing cycle.

Speeding Up Deliveries

Leading the charge in sUAV delivery experiments are online retail giants like Amazon. Though still in development, prototype cargo sUAVs aim to bridge the last mile between warehouses and customers’ doorsteps. The goal is 15-30 minute delivery of small packages nationwide. While regulatory and technological challenges remain, successful sUAV delivery could redefine expectations around e-commerce shipping times. Companies outside of retail are exploring medical supply delivery applications as well. For example, British start-up Windracers recently partnered with the NHS to research how sUAVs could deliver defibrillators, first aid kits, and other emergency medical equipment to rural and hard to access areas more quickly than road vehicles.

Public Safety & Environmental Protection

Government agencies have also validated the public safety potential of sUAVs. For search and rescue operations, Small UAV equipped with infrared cameras and loud speakers helped locate missing persons in disaster zones during Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. Thermal sensors even detected survivors’ body heat signals under debris piles. In the environmental domain, government and non-profit conservation groups deploy sUAVs for wildlife tracking and anti-poaching efforts in remote nature preserves. With cameras that can detect animal collar signals from above, sUAVs enhance biodiversity monitoring capabilities without disturbing habitats. On the law enforcement front, police departments pilot sUAV programs to support traffic incident response, SWAT operations, and missing person investigations from an aerial surveillance perspective.

Boosting Scientific Research

Scientists and researchers also unlock new dimensions of study using sUAVs. universities routinely use sUAVs outfitted with specialized payloads to automate data collection over experimental fields, forests and water bodies. Geologists use sUAV magnetic surveys and photography to discover mineral deposits and monitor volcanic activity too hazardous for manned flights. Ecologists strap cameras and sensors to sUAVs to automate wildlife censuses across vast territories without disturbing habitats. Meanwhile, meteorologists run sUAV tests carrying small radiosondes into the upper atmosphere, gathering vertical atmospheric profiles to enhance weather modeling. As sUAV technologies evolve the ability to stay airborne for longer and carry heavier payloads, their scientific contributions will only continue multiplying.

Regulation Must Evolve with the Technology

As outlined, Small UAV increasingly touch nearly every industrial sector and domain of public interest. However, regulation has struggled to keep pace with this technology’s expanding applications. Most countries maintain flight restrictions that constrain sUAVs to visual line of sight and below 400 feet altitude. While reasonable for hobbyist use, these rules inhibit sUAVs from achieving their full potential. Fortunately, regulatory frameworks are evolving. The U.S. adopted new remote ID rules requiring sUAVs to broadcast identity and location. And the FAA began approving some beyond line of sight and nighttime flights. As safety standards mature, expect regulations globally to support advanced sUAV missions like automatic package delivery. With continued innovation, sUAVs will surely transform many more industries in the coming years.

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About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)