Power is always an issue for drones and limits their operating range. The sight of drones swarming over a field might be disturbing, but artificial intelligence is making this sight a reality. ![]() The expectation is that swarming will become more commonplace, but it has many areas of potential use–including agriculture, as shown in Figure 2. A key aspect of this technology is their ability to fly in a swarm without striking each other, which requires significant data processing to implement. As these algorithms improve and progress in image processing, expect to see smarter drones that will easily maneuver in enclosed spaces, crowded urban areas, or near electrical and telecommunication overhead wiring.įor industrial automation, researchers have begun using swarm technology that leverages AI to enable drones to work cooperatively like bees. Artificial Intelligence and the Future of DronesĪutonomous drones already depend on artificial intelligence to navigate and avoid obstacles, as just discussed. Researchers are constantly working on sensors that use power more efficiently, and the availability of small, low-power SoC (System on a Chip) solutions is expanding daily. The primary drivers for advances in drone machine vision technology are energy efficiency, footprint, and faster, more accurate algorithms. These drones can also recognize landmarks for delivery by processing the data they receive. They can observe motion to predict whether a dynamic object is becoming an obstacle. ![]() For example, a delivery drone like Amazon Air Prime can determine how far away objects are. Because of this, one of the core systems in any autonomous drone is machine vision.īasic sensors such as digital cameras, radar, ultrasound, and lasers provide environmental data interpreted by machine vision AI. ![]() Safe flying can be challenging because they may encounter static and dynamic obstacles. Machine Vision and Autonomous DronesĪutonomous drones have a suite of sensors to enable them to fly safely in their environment. Companies are also looking at unmanned drones for UAM (Urban Air Mobility), where they serve a purpose similar to an air taxi. Researchers and companies are working towards making heavy cargo drones effective and affordable. Image provided courtesy of Pixabay.Īutonomous drones are already used for unmanned delivery, with Amazon Air Prime and Google Alphabet Wing as excellent examples. Professional photography using drones provides stunning images. Additionally, drones serve a similar purpose in agriculture, where they can assist in field management, spraying liquids onto crops, and evaluating potential hazards. This all leads to another exciting application of drones: construction, where they support site inspections, progress evaluation, and even time estimates for some material transport tasks. ![]() They provide amazing videos and photographs, such as the fantastic view depicted in Figure 2. The expectation is that the use of autonomous drones in security, surveillance, and rescue applications will grow.ĭrones are increasingly accepted for their use in television, film, and photography. They are often augmenting traditional machine vision with infrared and thermographic technology. Manufacturing facilities and warehouses are already using drones for material handling. Civil engineers often use them to perform remote visual inspections on bridges and structures that are difficult to reach safely. Image provided courtesy of Pixabay.ĭrones are currently in use in a wide swath of applications. Both manned and unmanned drones have thousands of potential uses as science and engineering enable them to be smaller, lighter, and more powerful. We’re starting to see them used as delivery drones, such as the Alphabet Wing and Amazon Prime Air–so what does their future look like? Figure 1. Technological advances have made them useful in many different everyday applications. Drones, such as the one shown in Figure 1, used to be relegated to hobbies or associated with the military.
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