Drones have a public relations problem. Even as private ownership of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) continues to grow, the public has been slow to embrace them. One study in the US found that 73 percent of respondents wanted regulations on drones, while 42 percent said they opposed private ownership outright.
Last year, 36 US states took up legislation governing drones, and the deadline for the US to impose federal regulations is near — the US Federal Aviation Authority Modernization and Reform Act expires in September.
In such an atmosphere, the notion of “drones for good” might seem counter-intuitive. It is, though, the guiding principle of an international competition launched in Dubai by United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The year-long contest, which organizers dubbed the “World Cup of drones,” sought entries from contestants looking to put drones to positive use. It garnered more than 800 submissions from 57 nations.
On Friday and yesterday, in Dubai, 19 semi-finalists were due to show their work to judges and investors from around the world. The winner of the international competition is to receive US$1 million.
Here are some of the most innovative contenders:
Park ranger drones designed in Spain. Poaching is a major issue in nations that are home to endangered species. Even in wildlife refuges and reserves, limited numbers of rangers are tasked with policing hundreds of hectares, making it impossible to effectively protect animals day and night.
Arnau Terrades has a plan: Deploy fleets of UAVs equipped with cameras, infrared sensors and high-quality microphones to deliver bird’s-eye views of the forest.
Such fleets would be supported by highly portable ground-support systems, requiring only a laptop, global positioning system, a communication system and extra batteries. Rangers would be able to launch drones via a car-powered catapult. The drones would use 3G technology to send position data back to the ground station and to communicate.
Sensing suspicious activity, a UAV would sound an alarm to home base, allowing rangers to stream real-time video and react more quickly, potentially saving the lives of endangered animals.
Drones to relieve slums, designed in Kenya.
In Kenya, nearly one-third of the population lives in urban areas. Of that group, 60 percent — about 7.8 million people — live in slums, crudely constructed structures often so tightly packed that they only allow for very narrow dirt roads. This makes it exceedingly difficult to deliver clean water, install adequate lighting and build sustainable sanitation systems. It also poses incredible obstacles to firefighters.
This is where David Kiarie’s drones come in. He proposes UAVs to fly above slums and capture spatial data — a way to map the areas and allow for better development planning and the delivery of much-needed supplies at a low cost.
Drones for search and rescue, designed in Switzerland.
In the wake of air crashes, earthquakes and other disasters, the first task is to search for survivors, a task that can be difficult and dangerous.
Rescue efforts following the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster showed the limitations of using robots, so Patrick Thevoz and his team of Swiss engineers developed the world’s first drone that does not crash on impact and is safe to fly around humans. Encased in a kind of pliable honeycomb orb, the drones are able to roll across surfaces in order to gather optical and thermal data, which could allow more disaster survivors to get medical attention sooner.
Drones for reversing deforestation, designed in the UK.
The planet’s forests are rapidly disappearing — and conventional reforestation is too costly and time-consuming.
“We believe industrial-scale deforestation can only be countered with industrial-scale reforestation,” one team member said in a submission video.
After gathering terrain data to generate a 3D map of the environment, drones can plant biodegradable seed pods, suspended in nutrient-rich gel, at predetermined locations. The British team behind the drone says it has the capacity to plant a billion trees in a year.
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