The rise of drones in the industrial sector – how high can they go?
I hate to drone on about digital transformation technology… but unmanned aerial vehicle’s (UAVs) aren’t remotely messing about! They’re finally delivering on their promise of improving safety for the industrial sector whilst collating some pretty unique data.
As adoption of software and technology continues to rise, drones and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are increasingly being recognised as a necessity on all types of operations including power plants, wind turbines and even oil rigs.
Drones are poised to become the standard for many projects and sites across the industrial sector thanks to a catalogue of benefits. Here’s why everyone wants to get their hands on a drone, including the police at Gatwick airport!
Safety first
The biggest advantage of using drones is the safety they provide for maintenance workers. Scaling a wind turbine or diving to inspect an offshore oil rig are dangerous operations. Drones eliminate the obvious risks to both scenarios.
Additionally, reaching challenging locations becomes more accessible whilst providing real-time, high definition imagery for AI or people to analyse. This is particularly useful in the case of an emergency such as a fire where drones can be launched instantly.
Unexplored data
Drones also have the unique capability of scanning an asset and recording accurate data for maintenance and operational purposes, reducing downtime and improving communication. Not only does this improve ROI, but also builds a database of information to share with other businesses to utilise and exchange knowledge.
New technology could take flight
For the wider Digital Plant and Smart industries, there is an opportunity to develop and attach new software to drones and continue pushing technological boundaries. For example, thermal imaging software and other sensors can be developed to increase the value that drones already offer.
Additionally, AI and other software solutions can be developed to analyse, store, protect and manage new data which increases competition and growth for the industry. Findings from this data could unearth various opportunities to develop new technology and software in the future.
Labour opportunities
New technology and software are inevitably attracting a new wave of talent to the market, including graduates and tech-savvy professionals from other leading industries. The need for talent which possesses experience of using drones is increasing, whilst training is also required for those who have industry knowledge but are lacking technology experience.
Drones are becoming the real deal within emerging technology markets and it’s clear that the industrial sector will richly benefit. Despite all this, it’s still going over my head…
