Using Drones for Commercial, Personal and Military Purposes in 2021 and Beyond

Whether you call them unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), miniature drones or flying mini-robots, drones are quickly growing in popularity. They are still in the early stages of mass adoption and use, but drones have already broken through the tough traditional barriers in many industries that seemed impenetrable to such technological innovations.

Over the past few years, unmanned aerial vehicles have taken a central role in the operations of various businesses and government organizations and have succeeded in tasks where some industries were either standing still or falling behind. From rapid rush-hour deliveries to scanning an inaccessible military base, drone capabilities have proven extremely useful in places where a person cannot reach or cannot act in a timely and efficient manner.

Improving efficiency and productivity, reducing workload and production costs, increasing accuracy, improving customer service and relationships, and addressing safety issues on a large scale are just some of the main areas where drones are used worldwide. The adoption of unmanned technologies across industries quickly moved from a fashionable trend to a megatrend, as more and more companies began to recognize its potential, scale and prospects for global reach.

Whether these devices are controlled by a remote control or accessed through a smartphone app, they can reach the most remote areas with almost no human involvement and require minimal effort, time and energy. This is one of the main reasons they are being adopted worldwide, especially in these four sectors: military, commercial, personal and future technologies.

The History of Drones and Their Current Use

Drones have existed for more than two decades, but their roots go deep into World War I, when the United States and France worked on creating automated unmanned aircraft. However, the last few years have been significant in terms of drone adoption, expanded use across industries and global awareness.

Drone technology has evolved and flourished over the past few years, from maintaining complex military assets to attracting hobbyists around the world. Individuals, commercial organizations and governments have concluded that drones have many useful functions, in particular:

• aerial photography for journalism and film
• express delivery and regular delivery
• gathering information or delivering essential supplies to fight natural disasters
• drones with thermal sensors for search and rescue operations
• geographic mapping of hard-to-reach terrain and locations
• safety inspections of construction sites
• precise crop monitoring
• unmanned cargo transport
• law enforcement and border surveillance
• storm tracking and forecasting of hurricanes and tornadoes

Hundreds more drone use cases are currently being developed, as numerous investments are made into this promising industry every day.

Military Use of Drones

Military use of drones has become the leading application in the modern world. Drones used as decoys, in combat missions, for research and development, and for surveillance are an integral part of armed forces worldwide.

According to Globe Newswire, the global military drone market will reach $23.78 billion by 2027. Military spending also tends to rise, since a single American Predator drone costs about $4 million.

Unmanned aerial vehicles will continue to be used in various military operations, as they help reduce losses and enable highly professional and urgent missions.

Commercial Use of Drones

Commercial use of drones is gaining momentum, as many industries work with the devices as part of their everyday business functions. The drone services market is expected to grow from $4.4 billion in 2018 to $63.6 billion by 2025, while Insider Intelligence forecasts that consumer drone shipments will reach $29 million by the end of 2021.

The commercial unmanned aerial vehicle industry is still young, but it has begun to see some consolidation and major investment from industrial conglomerates, chip makers, IT consulting firms and large defense contractors. For now, small manufacturers from Europe, Asia and North America still lead the industry.

As it becomes cheaper to set up commercial drones, the door opens to new functions across a wide range of niche areas. Sophisticated drones will soon be able to handle everyday tasks such as automatically fertilizing fields, tracking traffic accidents, inspecting hard-to-reach places or even delivering pizza.

Ultimately, according to AUVSI, the impact of commercial drones could reach $82 billion and add 100,000 jobs to the US economy by 2025.

Personal Use of Drones

As sales of civilian drones grow, so does the concern of regulators and law enforcement agencies, given past collisions of drones with airplanes and crowded stadiums. According to Philly By Air, at the end of 2019 the US had 990,000 registered operators and about 1.32 million drones.

Insider Intelligence expects drone sales to exceed $12 billion in 2021. A significant share of this money will come from sales of personal drones used for filming, recording, photography and games by ordinary tech-savvy enthusiasts.

However, in the next few years consumers will spend $17 billion on drones. Drones come in all shapes and sizes, from small, inexpensive single-rotor devices to large quadcopters costing more than $1,000 with GPS, multiple cameras and first-person-view control. Although these types of devices are primarily intended for hobbyists, they are widely available and the market is growing.

Future Drone Technology

Drone technology is constantly evolving, so future drone technology is currently undergoing pioneering and progressive improvements. According to airdronecraze, a website of the Amazon Services LLC affiliate advertising program, drone technology has seven potential generations, and most modern technology belongs to the fifth and sixth generations.

Generations of drone technology:

1. Basic remote-controlled devices of all kinds. 
2. Static design, fixed camera mount, video and photo recording, manual flight control.
3. Static construction, two-axis gimbals, HD video, basic safety models, assisted flight.
4. Transformable designs, three-axis gimbals, 1080P HD video or more expensive instruments, improved safety modes, autopilot modes.
5. Transformable designs, 360-degree gimbals, 4K video or more expensive instruments, intelligent flight modes.
6. Commercial readiness, design based on safety standards and regulatory requirements, platform and payload adaptability, automated safety modes, intelligent flight models and full autonomy, airspace awareness. 
7. Full commercial readiness, fully compliant design based on safety standards and regulatory requirements, interchangeable platform and payload, automated safety modes, advanced intelligent flight models and full autonomy, full airspace awareness, automatic actions (takeoff, landing and mission execution). 

The seventh generation of drones has already begun, as 3DRobotics announced the world's first all-in-one intelligent drone called Solo. Smart drones with built-in protection mechanisms and regulatory compliance, intelligent precision sensors and self-monitoring are the next big revolution in drone technology, which will open new opportunities in transportation, military, logistics and commercial sectors.

As these technologies continue to develop and grow, drones are becoming safer and more reliable, which will ensure their subsequent mass adoption, provided that the strict USFAA legislation on unmanned aerial vehicle technology and use is relaxed to some extent.