best prospects for commercial drone technology, with
an estimated value of A$45 billion. One example of
how drones can deliver improvements is by monitoring
construction progress reports. Drones can identify
discrepancies between plans and actual progress as
small as a centimetre, and the documentation
generated can be used as legal evidence.
However, Spooner says that the insistence on flying
a drone within the line of sight in Australia may be
holding back growth. When Domino’s caused a media
frenzy last year when it became the first company to
test pizza delivery by drone, it did so in New Zealand
because exceptions to this rule are permitted.
Similarly, Google and Amazon are testing parcel
delivery services outside the US due to it having
regulations many have branded as out of touch.
Australia Post is currently trialling drone parcel delivery
for rural areas; however, the public may be less than
enthusiastic. A 2015 survey by market research
company I-view found that drones are an unpopular
mode of delivery, with only a tenth of respondents in
Australia supporting it.
“Since our closed-field trial with the Civil Aviation
Safety Authority in April 2016, we have been looking
to conduct our own customer trials to understand
how the public will respond to [drones],” a company
spokesperson says. “Until issues around safety,
privacy and insurance are worked through, the
focus of commercial drone usage is likely to
continue around B2B rather than B2C engagement,”
says Spooner.
NEAR MISSES HURT THE
WHOLE INDUSTRY
There has been a spate of near misses involving
recreational drones, such as in May when a drone
almost hit a plane as it came into Edinburgh Airport,
according to the BBC.
Dr Ball says that while the majority of recreational
drone pilots are responsible, “some people see drones
as little toys that you can fly anywhere”. She pointed
out that anti-terrorism laws require identification to
buy a SIM card, but there are no such laws for
recreational drones. She believes that more effective
regulation is needed. “Drones come with a leaflet
on how to use them, but how many people read
the leaflet?” she asks. She is also concerned by
videos being posted on YouTube of people flying
drones while consuming alcohol, or flying in
prohibited spaces, such as in crowded areas or
near buildings.
DRONES WILL MAKE
US ‘MORE HUMAN’
Dr Ball is excited about the opportunities for new jobs,
such as in drone-related law, data management,
engineering and manufacturing. “When I think of all the
car manufacturing plants that have closed down, I think
of all the skills we have. We could take people in their
fifties and sixties who have manufacturing skills and
repurpose those skills for the modern paradigm.”
Spooner is also upbeat, saying, “While it’s unclear
what impact drones will have on the job market, we
believe they will transform the nature of work by taking
over boring and repetitive tasks and allowing
us to be ‘more human’.” Only time will
tell if drones can deliver all that
they now seemingly promise.FAST FACT
THE FIRST USE OF A
COMMERCIAL DRONE WAS
IN JAPAN IN THE 80s.
IT WAS USED TO
SPRAY PESTICIDE ON
A RICE PADDY.Tech talk | INNOVATE