It’s been a week of both exciting progress and troubling news for the drone market. While it's certainly encouraging to see more UK emergency service departments are looking to add unmanned aircraft to their equipment and hear more facts about the financial benefits of drone delivery from Deutsche Bank, it's also concerning to hear about the rise of the counter-UAV market.
Also, heliguy™ has had the opportunity to get hands-on with DJI’s Matrice 600, read on to find out more and view our exclusive photo gallery.
Drone Deliveries Cut Costs
Our recent series focusing on drone sensors (read part one & part two) delved into the market potential for unmanned aircraft in a range of industries. One of the top five on Heliguy’s list was delivery, and it looks as though it’s just gained even more support. Reports this week from Deutsche Bank state that drone delivery (using Amazon’s drone fleet plans as their example) would save everyone, from businesses through to their consumers, a lot of money. The reasoning behind this is that an estimated 80% cost saving could be made to last mile shipping, the final stage between the local depot and the customer's home. We’ve illustrated their calculations in the table below (these examples are based on a typical shoe-box sized delivery):
Courier rates may vary, figures sourced from Deutsche Bank Study 15/06/2016
Even for those on the fence about the viability of drone delivery, the potential savings on courier fees are undeniably impressive.
More UK Police Forces Turn to Drones
It’s not just the delivery process that’s about to be overhauled, more and more police forces and fire brigades in the UK are identifying the massive potential of drones. Durham police are the latest to embrace unmanned aircraft stating their use in a range of applications from search and rescue to surveillance, tracking suspects to detecting marijuana grow sites via heat signature from thermal sensors.Check out the DJI Zenmuse XT: A Comprehensive Thermal Solution
Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Surrey have also seen their police forces take to the air and that’s not even mentioning fire brigades such as the Mid and West Wales Fire & Rescue Service who use drones to survey live sites and provide perspectives that would otherwise not be possible. Heliguy is a big supporter of emergency services as well as larger industrial clients looking to add drones to their service model. We offer bespoke training organised on a case-by-case basis ensuring our trainees; whether they be police, fire services or offshore surveyors are given a machine-specific, industry-focused experience. Read more about our bespoke training here, or to find out about our other courses, visit our Drone Training page.
Counter-UAV Tech Market Growing
London-based business intelligence company VisionGain have predicted that the Counter-UAV (C-UAV) market will be worth up to $2.5bn by the end of this year. A spokesperson from the VisionGain said:“C-UAV systems will be equally attractive to customers in the civilian and military sectors, due to the rising security threat posed by UAVs.”
While solutions such as geofencing in the vicinity of airports and no-fly-zones seem like common sense policy, the drone industry must remain vigilant to avoid becoming defined by alarmist (and often misinformed) stories. Hopefully, as drones become more regulated through informed conversations between users and aviation authorities – there won’t be as much suspicion and misinformation surrounding unmanned aircraft. You can read Heliguy’s guide to global drone regulations here, which provides insights into how the most drone-savvy countries on each continent have chosen to police their skies.
Hands-on with the DJI Matrice 600
Heliguy’s tech team have been tirelessly building and getting to grips with the DJI Matrice 600 and recently had the opportunity to give it a spin over our test field. Keep checking back to the Insider blog and watch our social media channels for our upcoming video giving you an exclusive look at the M600 in action. For such a large craft its movements are amazingly smooth and it handles remarkably well. It will be interesting to get it in the air with the Ronin-MX and see how it effects the flight experience. See below for our DJI Matrice 600 photo gallery to get a closer look at its numerous adaptable components including the A3 Flight Controller: For anyone interested in the Matrice 600, Heliguy’s build service can streamline the process for you. Our dedicated team of technicians are experts at constructing and repairing everything from smaller quadcopters to heavy lift rigs. For more information about the services we offer, our training courses or just want to find out more about the M600, don't hesitate to contact us: Call UK: 0845 838 8652 Int: +44 (0)191 296 1024 Email info@heliguy.comKeep checking back to heliguy™ Insider for more of the latest news from the drone industry.
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