Engineering your Future - Why the sky is the limit for the UAV engineer
Every Olympics opening ceremony has a technological innovation. During the London Olympics the seats in the stadium were used for special light effects. During the Rio Olympics opening ceremony the stadium's floor was used as a giant electronic canvas to add spectacular graphics to the ceremony. But the pinnacle of innovation was shown at the recent opening ceremony of the winter Olympics in South Korea. In a successful Guinness world record bid, 1218 drones flew in formation forming iconic symbols of the winter games like a skier and the Olympic rings. An amazing accomplishment showing that drones have moved well beyond the confines of military warfare.
In fact, drones, or to be more precise Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are now taking off in the world of engineering. UAVs are small aircraft which are often used when it is too difficult, expensive or risky for a manned aircraft to fly. These unmanned pieces of technology can be installed with cameras, GPS and sensors to monitor surrounding conditions.
The ability of UAVs to reach previously inaccessible areas, gather staggering amounts of data, making them an obvious choice for those who work across huge areas of land, in dangerous terrain or manage large construction projects. UAVs are predicted to replace people in more dangerous roles, creating a safer environment for workers across industries. Oil rig engineers, firefighters and other emergency services are already utilising drones. Here are some typical engineering applications for drones:
3D Mapping: Drones equipped with 3D mapping software can support planning and design in construction, risk management in insurance and land maintenance in agriculture.
Monitoring: Drones with thermal imaging and sensors can survey installations, powerline networks and detect failures, improving the safety of employees. Whether it’s above or underground, the size and flexibility of the drone allows it to operate in any environment.
Logistics Planning: Construction engineers often work in remote areas or over large sites that change rapidly over a short period. Drones can be used to provide a dynamic visualisation, flagging potential impacts and issues that might otherwise be overlooked, e.g. large plant movement and arrangements.
Disaster Monitoring & Management: In the wake of a natural disaster, aerial drones are used to help locate survivors, analyse damaged infrastructure and deliver much-needed supplies and equipment.
Are drones expecting to take off? A 2013 report released by the trade group Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, predicts that there will be more than 100,000 new jobs in unmanned aircraft by 2025. It’s a market currently shaping itself. The aerospace and defence sector as ‘hiring aggressively’. Engineering jobs in the commercial and consumer markets are growing slowly as UAV companies are working through government legalities with safety and privacy. Once this has been tackled, UAV use is predicted to skyrocket.
With a more accessible market ahead of us, the prospects for future engineers to specialise in UAV technology, software and implementation is set to take off. Universities are adding UAV modules to their engineering curriculum and more and more commercial businesses are working with governments to ease some of the stringent regulations on safety and privacy. New UAV application areas are being created every day. We will see drones being used for diverse areas like distribution, quality control, maintenance or transportation. And all these new application areas will come with new job opportunities for the UAV engineer. The sky is the limit.