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OT: Is it just me who does not see huge business opportunies in drones? Don't get me wrong. Drones made a huge leap the recent years and from a hardware manufa

OT: Is it just me who does not see huge business opportunies in drones? Don't get me wrong. Drones made a huge leap the recent years and from a hardware manufacturer's POV there is business. There is also great stuff like drone races, drone cams and selfie cam drones. But will there be really much more? Are safety concerns, public regulation and limited use cases in many areas (such as urban areas) giving drones a hard time?

sjcsjc 9y ago
Drone Wars - Robot Wars in 3D.
- Daviey 9y ago
  Airmageddon, made by the same person as Robot Wars. I was on there. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_epw7qnkc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_epw7qnkc
dan1234 9y ago
Delivery companies are probably the largest potential users IMO. Imagine the potential chaos if all those the Deliveroo/Just eat drivers were replaced with drones heading to and from restaurants and takeaways with no formally defined routes.
- dogma1138 9y ago
  That won't happen you can't fly drones in London outside of a few designated areas which are registered flying fields. It might work in less dense populated areas but I don't see drone delivery as a thing in any U.K. city ever happening.
eterm 9y ago
Drone registration could actually boost the drone-business market. Businesses should welcome registration because people won't just look at it and think "well I could do that myself!" because of the additional hurdle; hurdles that businesses will happily jump through. It'll separate drones more clearly into "toy" grade drones and business grade drones. The businesses for drones are anywhere that you want equipment (particularly cameras but not necessarily) that previously it was too difficult or expensive to put a person for either due to practicality or safety reasons. Drones are now reasonably cheap self-stabilising mobile platforms. They won't be going away, they'll just be incorporated into other businesses where appropriate. It's easy to laugh at drone-races and selfie-cams but as drones become more reliable, more efficient and quieter they'll just naturally find use cases.
- mbrookes 9y ago
  That hurdle already exists in the UK in the form of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) certification (AKA Remote Pilot Competence), which requires passing a theory test, a practical test on the specific equipment that will be flown commercially, as well as development of an Operations Manual that is reviewed as part of the certification process. Commercial insurance is also required. What the proposed registration process is attempting to address is the misuse of hobby multi-rotors. The difficulty the it faces is in retrofitting it to an existing market. Those who are too dumb or ignorant to fly legally (and since multi-rotors have become too easy to acquire and fly, there are many), are going to be the ones who also fail to register. Requiring registration prior to purchase is one possibility, and having mandatory geo-fencing on all new systems seems like the only way to gradually introduce a system that restricts use in controlled airspace, and over populated areas, but it will never be able to account for every scenario in which people insist on breaking the law, invading privacy or putting others at risk of injury.
- honestlyreally 9y ago
  Regulation works wonders for incumbents most days of the week.

sjcsjc 9y ago

Drone Wars - Robot Wars in 3D.

Daviey 9y ago
Airmageddon, made by the same person as Robot Wars. I was on there. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_epw7qnkc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_epw7qnkc

dan1234 9y ago

Delivery companies are probably the largest potential users IMO. Imagine the potential chaos if all those the Deliveroo/Just eat drivers were replaced with drones heading to and from restaurants and takeaways with no formally defined routes.

dogma1138 9y ago
That won't happen you can't fly drones in London outside of a few designated areas which are registered flying fields. It might work in less dense populated areas but I don't see drone delivery as a thing in any U.K. city ever happening.

eterm 9y ago

Drone registration could actually boost the drone-business market. Businesses should welcome registration because people won't just look at it and think "well I could do that myself!" because of the additional hurdle; hurdles that businesses will happily jump through. It'll separate drones more clearly into "toy" grade drones and business grade drones. The businesses for drones are anywhere that you want equipment (particularly cameras but not necessarily) that previously it was too difficult or expensive to put a person for either due to practicality or safety reasons. Drones are now reasonably cheap self-stabilising mobile platforms. They won't be going away, they'll just be incorporated into other businesses where appropriate. It's easy to laugh at drone-races and selfie-cams but as drones become more reliable, more efficient and quieter they'll just naturally find use cases.

mbrookes 9y ago
That hurdle already exists in the UK in the form of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) certification (AKA Remote Pilot Competence), which requires passing a theory test, a practical test on the specific equipment that will be flown commercially, as well as development of an Operations Manual that is reviewed as part of the certification process. Commercial insurance is also required. What the proposed registration process is attempting to address is the misuse of hobby multi-rotors. The difficulty the it faces is in retrofitting it to an existing market. Those who are too dumb or ignorant to fly legally (and since multi-rotors have become too easy to acquire and fly, there are many), are going to be the ones who also fail to register. Requiring registration prior to purchase is one possibility, and having mandatory geo-fencing on all new systems seems like the only way to gradually introduce a system that restricts use in controlled airspace, and over populated areas, but it will never be able to account for every scenario in which people insist on breaking the law, invading privacy or putting others at risk of injury.
honestlyreally 9y ago
Regulation works wonders for incumbents most days of the week.