Revolutionizing Industries: Exploring the Game-Changing Applications and Impacts of Modern Drone Technology
Drone technology has developed rapidly in recent years and has become a technology used in many different sectors. This tech is expected to become more widespread, making life easier and jobs more efficient.
This technology meets sector needs and simplifies complex problem-solving, particularly when paired with industrial solutions. In this article, we have compiled information and usage examples about drone technologies especially for the construction sector. You can find the answers about drone technology and how to use drone technology in construction sites.
Unpacking the Basics: What You Need to Know About Drones
Its use or control is carried out by a drone pilot with remote control or drone applications without remote control and flight software that can be controlled from a computer.
Benefits of drone are usually lightweight and agile, and are equipped with usually equipped with many sensors and cameras. These help the drone to detect its position, speed, altitude and other important information. This information allows the drone to fly without the need for a pilot or a remote control.
Drones, in general terms unmanned aerial vehicles, are developed for specific purposes and have different areas of use that are becoming more widespread day by day. Structurally, they are divided into three different classes. There are conventional systems with fixed wings that take off and land horizontally, multicopter systems that can take off and land vertically, and hybrid models that can both take off and land vertically and fly horizontally with fixed wings, called VTOL.
Since drones are aerial vehicles, they have the most basic function of taking photos and videos. They have camera systems, GPS and detection sensors with various functions.
Drones can also accurately determine their location, thanks to a built-in GPS receiver. This can enable the drone to fly in a specific area or fly to a specific point automatically.
Transforming Solutions: How Drones Can Solve Problems and Meet Critical Needs
Each sector needs customized solutions. At this point, it is important to determine detailed needs by consulting sector-based experts. As a result of research and observations, it is seen that there is a need to produce solutions that will help meet the needs in construction, agriculture, insurance, logistics, natural disasters, search and rescue, health and many other fields. To explain with examples of use by sector,
- Fast and safe mapping and measurement studies in the construction sector, occupational health and safety determinations,
- Monitoring of plant health, productivity and harvest times in agriculture,
- Flow of live information during and after natural disasters,
- In search and rescue, observing and detecting signs of life in places inaccessible to human resources,
- Accident analysis and damage assessment in the insurance sector,
- Delivery of emergency response kits in the health sector,
- Maintenance and repair work in Energy Facilities,
needs and problems can be met.
Elevating Construction Efficiency and Success through Drone Technology
With the development of camera, remote sensing and communication technologies, drones have been included in construction processes along with many other sectors. The fact that costs and competition in the global construction market have increased significantly in recent years and inefficiency is much higher than in other sectors has led construction companies to invest in technology and digital transformation practices. Drone technologies and digital twin studies are at the forefront of these. Drones have started to be used specially to control large and complex projects.
In order to prevent budget overruns in construction projects, to collect progress data faster and to make measurement data that leads to disputes more accurate, drone technology has started to be included in the entire life cycle of construction processes.
As it is known, there are 3 important stakeholders in construction projects; the employer who owns the project, the project management and the contractor who does the work. The client wants to follow the project transparently and stay within budget by making the right strategic decisions. Project management wants to receive progress information on site accurately and quickly and report it to the employer on a regular basis. The contractor, on the other hand, wants to receive his money as soon as possible by measuring and documenting his work correctly. Currently, tracking site progress is slow, costly and error-prone. According to recent research reports, 85% of construction projects deviate from their budgets, 68% spend inefficient time for progress monitoring, and 30% have incorrect progress payment data due to incorrect measurements in manufacturing. Drones can be used for all these works, saving time, cost and resources for everyone. At the same time, thanks to drones, location-independent progress can be monitored from 3D models without the need to visit the construction sites on-site. This saves a lot of travel costs. Dangerous and remote works can be controlled and monitored with drones. Thus, unnecessary time losses are avoided.
The following applications can be realized with drone technology:
- Topographic Mapping and Land Surveys
- Employee and Equipment Tracking
- Remote Monitoring and Progress Reports
- Safety Inspections
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Structural Control and Documentation
Drones are vehicles that collect visual and geographical data from the air. If the drone does not have robotic functions, the real added value is the software and applications that process and analyze this data and contribute to operational processes. There is a need for software that can process and analyze the data collected by drones. The data obtained from the camera and Lidar systems used are mostly processed by photogrammetry and converted into 3D digital models and point cloud models. With this digital twin model, which now has x, y and z coordinates and real locations on the earth, we can determine the height differences of the site, measure the volumes of stocks, and measure the areas and distances of work. Not limited to these, with software with artificial intelligence algorithms, we can automatically detect changes from this visual data or analyze cracks, fractures or damages on an existing structure.
For example, we can detect and report deformations that occur over time on a bridge. We can take predictive maintenance measures by detecting damage and problems in electricity distribution lines. We can proactively detect occupational health and safety nonconformities. We can count the personnel, machinery, equipment and stocks in the field like a tally meter. Many studies that you can think of such as these can be done.
As construction companies realize the benefits of drone technology, they are rapidly adopting it in all their projects. As technology advances, drones will be used in many areas, whether for field measurement work or progress tracking, and I think they will be able to take on more tasks on construction sites than ever before. Newly developed drones can carry construction materials and other heavy loads on construction sites thanks to their high lifting capacity. Drone technology is also developing in other areas. In the future, drones will likely be able to guide and manage autonomous vehicles.
Currently, Amazon and other manufacturers are testing systems that pair drones with self-driving cars and delivery trucks, and similar technologies could help transport construction materials and steer construction vehicles. So, with emerging technologies and all these applications, we can step into a fully autonomous, digital construction world that complements the concept of Construction 4.0.
Next week we will explore the relationship between drone technology and digital twin technology in construction.
RemoteSite is Arventek’s product that provides professional photogrammetry and drone data analytics solutions. It automates construction quality control and progress monitoring. It is designed to convert images taken from drones, aircraft, and other sources into accurate 2D maps and 3D models (Digital Twin). It uses a combination of 3D data, computer vision, and machine learning to create highly accurate models of buildings and construction sites.
Users can measure distances, volumes, and areas, inspect and monitor sites remotely, and improve decision-making processes. RemoteSite can identify potential issues, deviations from the plan, and progress updates. This information can help construction teams to identify and address issues more quickly and effectively, reducing delays and costs.
RemoteSite is designed to integrate with existing construction workflows and tools, such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) software and project management platforms. The company’s technology can be used throughout the construction process, from pre-construction planning to post-construction analysis.
One of the key benefits of RemoteSite is its ability to automate much of the quality control and progress monitoring process, reducing the need for manual inspections and data entry. This can save construction teams significant time and resources, while also improving accuracy and reducing the risk of errors. It is used in a variety of industries, including construction, mining, surveying, energy and conservation.
For more detailed information and a free demo, Contact page.