SPECIAL DELIVERY MEDICAL SUPPLIES WILDLIFE MONITORING SPACE EXPLORATION FARMING AND AGRICULTURE

The many ways that UAVS are advancing industry

Receiving your packages by drone might seem like something out of a science fiction novel. However, in the past few years tech giants have been working hard and fast to make it a reality. With its latest model, the MK27-2, Amazon is one step closer to making Prime Air a reality. Later this year Amazon will begin drone delivery in California after approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The MK27-2 will be able to deliver packages up to 2.3 kilograms and has a range of 15 miles.

One of the most important ways drones are revolutionising delivery systems is in the world of medicine. Drones have the ability to respond to emergencies much quicker than other means of transport and can deliver vital medicines to remote areas. The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK announced that courier drones will ferry chemotherapy drugs from a hospital in Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight as part of a pilot scheme. Instead of the typical four-hour journey, drones cut the drug delivery time to just 30 minutes.

Drones offer another set of eyes in the sky to watch over the world’s wildlife. For example, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is using UAVS to remotely survey beluga whales in Alaska. Similarly, an organisation called Wildlife Drones is using UAVS to track some of the most endangered species on Earth, such as the highly trafficked pangolin. By ditching handheld radio trackers and replacing them with drone-bound receivers, researchers can gather more data in a shorter amount of time.

The first drone to journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere landed on Mars in February 2021. Ingenuity is a remote-controlled UAV used by NASA to demonstrate the first powered flight on another planet. Beyond proving flight is possible on Mars, Ingenuity will continue to explore the distant planet and provide information about flying on Mars. Due to the 140 million mile distance from Earth, Ingenuity isn’t remotely controlled by a NASA pilot; the UAV takes off and lands based on preprogrammed conditions such as Martian wind speed.

Farmers and agricultural engineers use drones for crop monitoring to accurately plan harvests and improve processes such as the delivery of fertiliser. The use of drones in agriculture is often referred to as precision farming due to the high level of precision that drone servers can map out land use.

MQ-9 REAPER

The Reaper is a remotely controlled tactical drone used by the US and UK Armed Forces for an array of operations, including intelligence gathering, communications and weapon strikes. The UAV is packed with sensory technology, including infrared sensors, optical cameras and radar. The almost-5,000-kilogram drone is controlled by three crew members on the ground, flying the drone to altitudes of more than 15,000 metres. During targeting strikes, the Reaper can release up to eight laser-guided missiles.