Drones have been rising to the mainstream as their popularity has increased. From crucial rescue operations to last-mile logistics, drones have seen more and more innovation that has increased the pool of their users. As the years move on, drone technology only seems to get stronger and better, and its popularity is evidently on its way to growing exponentially as the use cases for drones seem endless.
Here are five key drone trends for 2023:
Aerial LiDAR
In recent years, LiDAR technology has grown multifold. The term LiDAR comes from Light Detection and Ranging and is widely used to collect data on different surfaces and construct a 3D model. Now, as LiDAR sensors become widely available, more use cases are coming out.
Moreover, drones are becoming more mainstream as well, which is signaling a convergence of drone technology with LiDAR. Earlier, LiDAR was either used by helicopters, planes, or satellites to map the ground below. However, drone LiDAR is slowly revolutionizing the industry. A wider approach and use of drone LiDAR will be seen in 2023.
Drones-as-a-Service
A possibility on the cards for a while, Drones coming in with in-built technology to provide services for particular problems. This means the drones will come in productized state and will be readymade to fulfill the demands set forth. This will reduce time to value ratio drastically, streamline the issue, and tackle it much more efficiently.
This drone innovation will help every vertical and offering that drone technology has to offer. From Digital Twin creation to Asset Inspection, drones-as-a-service will see huge growth.
Algorithm-Driven Autonomous Drones
Autonomous vehicles have been creating a buzz lately in the world. With autonomous technology catapulting into the mainstream, it is a matter of time before it hits the drone sector. Both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have a big role to play in making drones autonomous, and subsequently, 2023 will finally see various types of drones flying without manual intervention.
This will majorly help the logistics business, as it will remove manual errors, and work faster, and in a systematic manner. Last-mile logistics will be revolutionized with drones delivering packages in minutes rather than hours.
Monitoring renewable energy sources
An increasing concern globally, climate change has been shaping future policies greatly. Now, as the focus on renewable energy increases, many companies will look to incorporate these energy sources. However, finding a suitable area for an energy plan and then mapping it out is a herculean task, to say the least.
Drones will help massively in surveying and mapping large areas of fields to chalk out the area suitable for renewable energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines. Moreover, thermographic imaging capabilities in drones will help monitor such areas 24/7.
Drones in Digital-twins
A scaled replica or a virtual model of a physical object with known dimensions, color, temperature, and thickness of the wall is known as Digital-Twin. Extremely crucial for the infrastructure sector, Digital twins are widely used before constructing large-scale properties.
Drones can transform digital twin technology by capturing detailed overviews of any given physical object. They can deliver thorough accuracy with optimum energy. Moreover, they can capture 360 degrees of the physical asset and make the collected data worthwhile.
