Want to know what are drones used for? If yes, you have come to the right place.
Personal drones were all the craze for the last few years.
You are most likely aware there are various drone uses, but you might be surprised by how varied and how many the applications are after reading this article.
Do not be shocked if you start to see a drastic difference in the method things are getting done using these amazing inventions.
Let us now list you 30 of the coolest drones use that could re-define the way you look at them.
Aerial Photography
Drone aerial photography is indeed among the primary usage of drones. Because of improved technology, a lot more quadcopters are now well-equipped to hold heavy camera equipment.
The drones, nowadays, are steady and can take clear and crisp pictures. You can handle what the video camera captures and sees straight from your phone and get high definition video recording to get the best results. Also, drone cameras are used in marriage and wedding photography.
Do you have ever thought what it will be as to take a selfie with a quadcopter from a particular height? It would mean more and more people can fit in the frame and you should get a true aerial view. It is indeed probably the top uses of drone.
Agriculture & Farming
Also, drones are used in the agriculture field. It is especially right for mass farmers who had reported significant changes in agricultural output with the use of drones.
Agricultural land’s routine aerial monitoring can provide you with in-depth crop performance analysis.
Moreover, drones may perform this evaluation at low expense without impacting the environment or the fields.
It not only results in a healthy crop growing but also will increase their yield.
Drones are used to spraying pesticides, scare away crop-eating birds, and perform other jobs. About ten days of regular work is done in around two days because of these quadcopters.
The idea got spread all across the globe and used in many elements of agriculture.
One such a project is from the California-based business Vine Rangers, that is testing to use UAV’s with infrared cams to find what the naked eye cannot see in the wine-making process.
With a combo of software and drones, they check for diseases then analyze the grade, stress, leaf respiration, yield, etc., to improve wine and grapes.
Commercial, Industrial & Construction
Some people believe, sooner or later, drones shall work alongside with humans to lay building foundation and perform similar civil engineering, industrial duties. And, some people are experimenting already with such jobs.
Drones, and mainly quads are finding its way in the construction industry in many ways. The main 5 include:
- Inspections.
- Employees monitoring.
- Show customers an aerial look of construction progress.
- Surveying.
- Security.
Frequent aerial monitoring could bring about significant advancements in construction infrastructure resulting in improved performances. Furthermore, in case the aircraft are tiny enough, they may get near to capturing images that can provide you with a more thorough idea of construction.
Construction companies which are using aerial photography multirotor as their primary marketing option are already noticing growth in business because of this and even got consumers choosing them for this very reason.
A few companies are using unmanned aerial vehicles to record construction site’s aerial views and using this in the three-dimensional modeling done by the architect. It is not just an excellent construction tool, yet also a useful marketing tool while trying to approach or sell a project.
Drone Racing & Sports
It is another popular drone use that is finding their way into your lives. Much more users are now getting into this activity and following it like a hobby.
It is like a video game race except you encounter actual scenarios, and you will control a proper race quad. For this reason, you would require an agile flying machine that can do acrobatic movements and sudden turns.
You can use it for a cathedral, a charity, your business, or other kinds of the fund-raising campaign, and everybody would like to race one another. Let us face it, which firm would not love to hold an exciting activity like this?
Entertainment & Light Shows
Perhaps much more than other things, theme park drone light show is considered something near to too good for this earth.
The drones will beam down images on a projection set up. Imagine a bigger-than-life character displayed in your front by a drone.
Aerial Delivery & Shipping
One of many innovative drones uses that quickly caught plenty of media interest was food and product delivery through drones. Big companies such as DHL, Amazon, Dominos, and FedEx are testing using the drone for local transport of their items. It could significantly lower human labor and speed up delivery times.
Think of this tech for a second. Not only would you get super-fast product delivery you need or want to your house, but you could also get that product shipped to anywhere you are now. It means you can place your orders from home, go to your close friends home, and have your delivery there.
A big obstacle for drone companies currently is FAA limitations on the commercially uses for drones. These are not permitted at this time without express authorization by the FAA. They are working on changed guidelines. Till then, delivery drones are merely experimental.
Delivery companies and retailers are still going through numerous challenges to have this technology possible, but it is only about time before these problems are sorted out. The main worry is reliable delivery and public safety. Several techniques are getting used to tackle these issues.
Amazon Delivers with Drones
In the plans for already some years, Amazon Prime Air plans to use drones to send out customer orders, like a set of sneakers in half an hour or less.
These flying cameras are built with sensors which allow these to avoid hurdles along the path, land the parcel safely close to a customer home or any other place, and go back to the command post.
If it is approved, over half your food orders and shopping could get done inside space of some minutes, with multirotors delivering your parcels at your house.
Filming and Movies
With such innovative advances in UAV technology, like autonomous flights, is not there a high chance that quadcopters will take up a much bigger part in the video and film world? For certain.
With developments in video-capture quality and drones, it might even change the video and film industry.
We may perhaps come across a system in which a drone may capture a whole scene entirely automatically, with all the correct pans and pre-programmed tilts in advance.
Lots of movies today are shot with drones and other quadcopters. A few of the movies that show up when you discuss filmography using drones are the well-acclaimed Leonard Di Caprio’s The Wolf of Wall Street, James Bond’s Skyfall, the evergreen Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, the famous TV series Game of Thrones, and the likes.
Fire Fighting
We already know helicopters being deployed for firefighting however soon drones could change it.
Aircraft are getting developed to help out with firefighting.
The good news about this is compared with choppers that are dangerous to the operator; the drones are unmanned.
Also, you can curtail the fire outbreak situations with the guide of quads. It is often better to dispatch drones first at a fire break out to observe the situation before humans go inside.
Hunting Support
Just decades ago, there is no means to say what you are getting into while wandering through woods.
Once your choice of the season arrives, you can use a copter to see whether it is worth wandering for, also if your desired game is out just waiting for you to encounter them.
Hard to Reach, High Altitude, or Critical Processes
People are interested in exploring hard-to-reach places for quite a while primarily to better predict real-time drone data, but additionally, test for resources throughout the area, study gases beaming from the altitude, and to find out more on the real life.
For instance, studying volcano is hard to do since it is difficult to access ground with toxic gases and extreme temperatures.
Getting aerial volcanos views was near no-no as a standard quadrotor cannot fly near enough.
Drones were recently used to get air samples and aerial photography of different volcanos worldwide.
Sensory & Inspection
Just like other industries, quadcopters are proving valuable in performing inspections.
They are changing the application of an individual physical inspection and costly to operate choppers.
It includes regular inspections of stuff such as equipment, roads, water, and power lines.
Drones can access cluttered spaces, like where complex pipes are laid inside construction walls, to collect hard to reach information.
These features built-in LEDs for darkness visibility and a versatile outer cage which allows it to rebound off of obstructions.
It should lower downtime, reduce inspection bills, and improve worker safety.
You can use quadcopters, for instance, to count up the amount of markers in highway and to make sure guardrail is long enough and correctly placed. For inspecting bridges, drones provide a lot more quality and efficient inspection process.
Airlines are experimenting what drone can do to pace up aircraft inspection. The crafts can hover all over the planes, capturing HD videos and photos that the engineers can then analyze instead of manually having to check the airplane.
News & Journalism
The capability of the quadcopters to reach areas where reporters could not reach has increased their usage in the journalism world.
Also, drones with cameras are re-defining the way you watch news.
Each the private hobbyists and press themselves are sending UAVs into late-breaking headlines scenes to record the action.
It includes traffic jams, fires, crimes in progress, and many more.
A few of the main benefits to quad copters over typical news choppers are:
- Can get nearer to the scene.
- Can deploy much faster.
- Less sound (necessary if using audio).
- Inexpensive to operate.
- More maneuverable.
Military & Armed Forces
Drones have had numerous uses in the defense, military, tactical, and modern warfare world.
These unmanned aerial systems are used to the air strikes purpose. They travel around suspected locations as controlled from the navy individual and they are operated in certain areas to fulfill army operations of government.
Small size and powerful cameras make them suitable for bomb detection purposes. Thus, these drones are apt to make us informed about unexploded bombs thus saving lives.
The defense sector of any nation usually conducts frequent surveys to ensure the safety of the place and the people. Using quads, in this situation, could reduce physical labor and also you receive a wider FoV (field of view). Also, it does not affect the ordinary people’s life.
Mapping Applications
Drones also had a significant impact in the mapping field. There are parts of the earth which are not quickly accessible for humans.
However, for the goal of understanding the landscape and prepare 3D maps, flying cameras have been used.
This system is now available to everybody to capture images for mapping such locations.
Mining
Drones are seeing a lot more application in mining jobs worldwide. It is getting deployed to deal with works that are dangerous or arduous to workers.
To make mine employees secure, drones also are being used to scan for dangerous spaces such as mine entrances and pit walls especially if the spot is considered being unsafe and dangerous to mine workers.
Both mapping and modeling are crucial to mining organizations. The application of UAV in this segment provide far more accurate models and maps and are much less expensive compared to existing popular methods.
Equipped with unique equipment, you can also use drones to search for minerals. Mining businesses are testing equipping quadcopters along with Multi-spectral vision devices.
It enables companies to discover ore by piloting drones around different areas and inside current mine pits.
Medical & Emergency
Now, should you are like us, you are wondering How in the earth can drone used in the medical field? Well, it looks like Microsoft is researching with using quadcopters for medical reasons, and specifically much in advance to people becoming sick.
The basic procedure is very straightforward. Drones are armed with bug collecting tool and then piloted around outside in various points of interest. The quad comes back with the bugs collected that are then taken to scientists to conduct the analysis.
Nevertheless, drones and its associated collection gadgets cannot differentiate one bug from other, and cannot only collect mosquitos, but that is what really scientists care about. Then, analyzing it is a processor intensive and time-consuming process.
However, even with these complexities, imagine a universe where scientists can publish warnings for public living in remote and high-risk areas of likely Malaria and also other deadly diseases? It would allow them to take preventive steps before things become worse, and a huge outbreak occurs.
Emergency
Emergency drones focus on solving an issue that was the death cause in many unexpected medical emergencies, like cardiac arrest.
These aim to reach the site in those early minutes that usually are very important, till the actual ambulance arrives.
It is made with two-way audio interaction ability and video, and compartments along with first-aid kits.
The drones used for emergency services should get to the victim then instruct somebody close by what to do using the advanced first-aid gear.
The plan to the medical drone is to incorporate into existing emergency response systems.
This idea presently lacks commercial back up and faces several other challenges, just like most UAV ventures.
Police & Law Enforcement
Drones have loads of potential for law enforcement.
These devices got the innate capability of flying around places drawing no attention by the people. Hence, it can be useful for public safety or surveillance.
Groups of people could be monitored plus criminal activities can get detected if there is an outbreak.
Also, these can be used by law enforcement officers for crime investigations where a detailed view may give you more details about the scene.
Moreover, drones also are used by most border patrol officers who work to monitor criminal activity in the border mainly the smuggle drugs transport.
Usecase #1: Use of Drones and Lighting in Night Crime Scene Reconstruction
Human Passenger Carrying
Most drones currently are used to deliver an item from one destination to another, yet none of those is used to carry people.
The whole idea of a passenger drone is to take flight unmanned anyway.
However, Ehang already has put together a concept model called Ehang 184 which can be flown to ferry passengers to places.
The drone got space for a single person, and all it needs to do is you take a seat and select where you would like to go then you shall be there.
Real Estate Photography
Among the earliest mainstream uses of personal quadcopters and drones was from real estate agencies as a promotional tool for listing homes.
For decades, realtors relied on pictures to show with home listings. Pictures alone never really gave potential customers a real sense of what the house felt like or looked like. Photos were one dimensional.
To fix this problem, virtual walkthroughs and even a few videos got famous. Virtual walkthroughs never truly caught on although video started to become an excellent sales and marketing solution for agents.
Using RC crafts, agents now can film footage of hard to see things of a house, show more clearly the scenery, and surrounding areas of a residence. Furthermore, visually show home’s proximity to neighboring houses, and neighborhood facilities like playgrounds, tennis courts, and pools.
Therefore, the use of drone in property marketing is booming. Many photographers are getting hired by realtors to perform their specialized expertise in home’s aerial photography, a new rising job market.
Recreational, Hobby & Fun
Obviously, drones are handy gadgets for various uses. However, you cannot forget that these are also suitable for recreational reasons.
More users are using drone for recreation purposes than in the past. Even children can be spotted flying compact, mini drones or kid’s drone inside their homes premises.
The good thing is that hobby, and personal usage of drone is perfectly under regulations in America.
You can do recreational flying anyplace but is recommended if done in open areas so you can actually see your quadricopter.
Robotics & Experimental Applications
Honeybee population is declining, and we no longer can take pollination to granted.
This tiny creature is the agriculture backbone and the foods that we consume.
Walmart has recently applied a patent to the robot, autonomous bees. The companies patent specifically addresses pollination drones.
These small robots could behave similar to bees, autonomously pollinating crops.
The bee robots would operate with cameras and sensors to allow them to find their way smartly to crops.
Autonomously flying around, these drones can pollinate as precisely as the real deal.
Incorporating autonomous programs into farming can increase agriculture productivity and cut costs.
While scientists strive to analyze declining pollinator statistics better and hopefully think of solutions, these farming drones can keep fresh produce, and agriculture, alive.
Surveying
Over time, lots of people did spend plenty of energy and time over surveys.
Drones now have turned this job simpler because they can get us essential details and footage.
It has significantly assisted the surveyors on their surveying mission.
Surveillance & Monitoring
A rapidly increasing drones usage is within the field of surveillance and security.
Drones allow you to spy areas and quick reach (often hard to see places) without actually needing to be present, and at minimum risk.
Surveillance drones recently have been used for:
- Anti-poaching efforts.
- Border patrol.
- Building security.
- Surveillance and monitoring of big crowds at gatherings and protests.
- Private and police investigations.
- Prison surveillance.
- Accident surveillance and road traffic monitoring.
These are just some, the opportunities here are almost endless. However, why drones ahead of traditional security and surveillance technologies? Listed below are just some reasons:
- Drones are tiny, harder to see, and less distracting.
- Easy to hide for different conditions.
- Provide no threat to the life of a human in more risky situations.
- Quicker to deploy.
- Significantly less expensive.
- They can fly into tight areas and be closer compared to traditional aircraft.
- Their small blades and electric motors are much silent than traditional aircraft and helicopters.
Using quadcopters to surveillance and security is becoming very popular, that fresh companies are getting created every day focusing in this drone types.
It would be a developing area, and wide open significant job and financial opportunities for you.
Search and Rescue Operations
Drones are getting a lot of negative press lately. You will find many positive drone uses though, and its recent new application in search & rescue mission is a big thing.
Generally, a rescue mission is a battle against the clock. You must get the job done smoothly and fast. It is where quadcopters come in useful.
Search and rescue drones can:
- Provide aerial photos and video for considerably less money than conventional helicopters.
- Fly and maneuver into hard to access spaces.
- Fly securely low to the ground.
Like full-sized aircraft, drones can carry HD GoPro cameras, and also thermal imaging unit to help locate animals and people. Also, these are handy for sending medical or food supplies to inaccessible areas ahead of the rescue squad comes in for support.
Because of their practical advantages, drones are getting used more regularly as a part of search & rescue operations.
One more important uses of drones lie in disaster management. You will often see there are resources mismanagement and utter chaos right after a natural disaster. Drones can help you drastically here.
Space & NASA
Drones are launched by space centers on the earth to improve connection networks of certain international manufacturers or network.
As a use, it then suspends the device in the low-earth orbit to enable wireless networks around a specific part of the globe.
Space agencies sent astronomic drones or space probes to the universe.
The aim is to study the vast galaxy of our solar system to find cosmic phenomena within deep space.
NASA and some other international space centers from worldwide are sending larger drones to a close by planets like Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus.
These space drones would aim to explore further the chemical composition, surface, and atmosphere of the targeted planets.
The NASA sent an advanced telescope device called the “Hubble Space” that was set in low-earth orbit. Now for the drone usage, it is a telescoping drone that will help scientists to identify a new phenomenon outside of the solar system and astronomic bodies.
Sports Aerial Coverage
Drones will change the tradition you watch TV, mainly sports. NASCAR, golf, football, and other outdoor (and some inside) sports are finding massive interest in the aerial photography drones use.
Drones provide one of a kind perspectives and view not possible from rail or fixed cameras.
One big advantage is drones can follow along with the move.
A drone that follows you will actually trail athletes and record them close up with stabilizing cameras.
Telecommunication Coverage Expansion
On a high note, Facebook and Google have, for a few years now, invested in individual drone technologies along with the purpose of spreading net access to virtually the entire planet.
Technically, Google is not invested in drone technology instead, but, a balloon thing known as Project Loon.
Nevertheless, Facebook’s investment is in real drones, solar-powered and intended to fly over 10 miles over the ground to supply net access to regions below it.
Weather Forecasting & Monitoring
Among the critical uses for drones is weather forecasting. It has, once more, given new hope to the idea of forecasting the climate conditions.
With active sensors and exceptional cameras, these aircraft can collect vital points that could help in weather predictions.
For example, sending drones to the tornadoes, hurricanes, and so on could bring you essential videos to study its occurrences and patterns.
Entities like the Sirens Project and models such as the Tempest are used to try to get as close to the face of the tornado as much.
As an RC hobbyist, you can find many problems that could occur with the Federal Aviation Administration, but the application is there to the future, nevertheless.
Wildlife Monitoring
The best reason about using quadcopters for these purposes is they do not disturb or affect wildlife. Many conservation parks and wildlife sanctuaries are thus switching to quads to ensure security.
They can get used at dark with thermal sensors camera to monitor wildlife all the time. The video from the devices can help you study animal habits and analyze its patterns.
Also, wildlife monitoring can cause poaching prevention, which is among the causes why many species are being endangered of late.
Gardening
It does not matter if you are shoveling, getting prepared for gardening time, or gleaning your crops from harvesting, it is always good to have timely delivery right in your disposal.
From an extra spade to some spare soil and pots, a drone is your futuristic tool in the gardening department.
Only the time can tell you how they may ethically evolve, and which extra application of drones is uncovered.
What is certain is we will hear more about these in the upcoming year and months.
Conclusion
We feel it is just the beginning as people start to integrate UAV technology more to their daily lives and jobs.
Drone is no more only for the pro users. Drones for beginners have entered the market, and many businesses are excited to use the capabilities of these devices to the greatest effects.
Drones have the potential and ability to transform the way things operate surprisingly. Tell us what the drone uses ideas you have in comments.
Additional Resource on Drone Uses:
Do you have information on a complete drones beginners course (books, DVD, etc.)? I live in the United Kingdom and need info that would suit the U.K. as American laws may differ.
I appreciate your help,
Mr . R.L. Batchelor
Hi Batchelor,
We previously published articles on the drones beginners topic, but those are for a general audience and not for country-specific readers. We may do one for the UK and other countries in the future. For now, you can find such UK-based guides by simply searching on Google or check out YouTube for some helpful videos.
A client of mine loved my interior photography so much, he bought me a DJI Mavic Pro and has begged me to shoot some aerial footage of his construction projects as well. I now own a drone and need to get up to speed with using it, so I am trawling the web for articles ?
Hey Chris, that’s one exciting way to get into the hobby. Although DJI Mavic Pro is an old model, it can take some fantastic aerial videos, which is good for you. Good luck with your project, and this site has plenty of content to keep you up-to-date and informed on anything related to drones.
I had to write a 20-page report for school on drones, and I cannot thank you enough for how much your list helped. Keep up the excellent work; I am impatient about the potential additions to the list.
I would recommend specifying that not all drones are quadcopters and that not all drones are specifically aerial vehicles.
You could also add more photos of what the drones for each use look like, especially for the military application, construction, and space applications.
I can only show respect to your commitment to this project and your efforts to improve your list.
Thanks again, and I hope my advice will prove helpful.
Alexander Rodin
Hi Alexander,
Nice to hear that our content has helped in your school report. Thanks for stopping by to comment on your appreciation; means a lot to us. We’ll add more use cases in the future so stay tuned for that. Also, thanks for your suggestions on how we can better improve this article & we will consider it in the subsequent updates.
Great article, Oliver!
Aerial photography is a passion of mine. I started with small drones such as the Altair Aerial AA108, offering small sides jobs for friends and family. Since then, as technology has evolved, so has my services in areas such as real estate drone photography, construction surveying, and aerial inspections. It is exciting to watch more and more indicates becoming popular, such as window–washing, as mentioned previously. I believe it is essential for the general population to know what’s available and options to consider as aerial photography services are becoming such a booming topic. Thank you again, and have a great day.
Hey Josh, thanks for sharing your drone story with us. It was inspiring and happy to hear how drones have helped you make a career out of it. It is essential to educate people about the endless possibilities these gadgets have to offer. That’s why we created this master list of drone uses. Hopefully, we’ll add more use cases with drones becoming more and more widespread in various industries.
I wanted to know if it is legal to use drones for personal security like a neighborhood watch, for instance, and if I have any rights as the neighbor?
Hi Carol, that’s a tricky question to answer because drone surveillance laws vary from state to state. We don’t get into legal discussions, so you should contact the relevant local aviation authority directly. As far as our knowledge, it’s not allowed and may infringe on the neighbor’s privacy.
I have a glass construction that is high up and impossible to clean without a crane. Is there a drone that is equipped with a little water tank that can spray on command? It would need to hold only about a pint or so of water and need to spray a distance of about a meter. Thanks!
Hey Jeff, Glad that you chose the drone option to clean your glass construction. Yes, there are drones for this purpose, but most of them are not available off-the-shelf. Just do a quick research on Google, and you can find companies that sell customized window-washing drones. You can tell them about your budget and requirements and boom you have a drone next time to take care of your skyscraper cleaning.
Hi Oliver, Can you list a few companies that manufacture commercial drones in India.
Hello Ronak,
We are based in the US only, so do not know any particular commercial drone manufacturers in India. Maybe try doing a simple Google search “drone companies in india” and you should be able to find the list you need.
As of right now, I don’t trust law enforcement to use these drones correctly by flying over my backyard or house. This is my airspace!!
It is a blatant abuse of power. I consider this invasion of privacy and should be considered as serious as requesting a search warrant with warrant required before any drone “infringement” is conducted. This has not happened to me yet, but some healthy paranoia is warranted.
Yes, there are many constructive uses of UAV/Drones. And yes, they are useful for law enforcement also. However, with any new invention/innovation, there will be abuses that must be monitored by the public and called out whenever these abuses occur.
Hey Phillip, I just answered for this similar comment on the Blog section thread. I understand your situation and agree with most of your views. But, then again, everyone has a different opinion, and it’s hard to judge what’s right and wrong that too during a global pandemic where it’s a race against the clock to save lives.
If using drones can save at least one life, I’ll take it all day long. Of course, privacy should be respected where it matters, but one cannot entirely out rule the benefits it provides, especially in containment efforts worldwide.
Thanks for sharing this information. It is very useful to me, thanks a lot.
Hello Pavan, thanks for dropping by to express your appreciation. Happy to hear that you found our site helpful. Don’t forget to bookmark the site & come back for more awesome drone content.
It stood out to me when you said that drone photography could help show the scenery and surroundings of real estate properties more clearly. My brother owns an office building near the freeway that he wants to sell within the next few months. I don’t know if he’s considering hiring a drone service to take the listing photos, so I’ll definitely suggest the idea next time I see him!
Hey Eileen Benson, Yes, drone photography has had a positive impact and benefits in marketing real estate properties. The unique aerial perspectives give clients a better view of not just property but also the surrounding neighborhood. Your brother could definitely hire a drone service (it’s not expensive nowadays) and pocket a few extra bucks from the sale. Because it’s easy to convenience a buyer if you have all those drone shots and videos.
I want to start in drones, which is the best business drone?
Hi Preeti, welcome to the world of drones. If you want a drone for commercial purposes, look for expensive, professional drones from high-end manufacturers such as DJI or Yuneec. Then again, the best drone for you depends on the requirements and nature of your business industry.
Really nice, there’re some uses there that I never thought of, it’s incredible how fast the drone technology is advancing.
Hi Alan,
Yes, you are spot on! Drones are proving useful in nearly all industries you could name. It’s incredible to see how much drone technology has advanced in the last few years from conventional aerial photography purposes. With time, we expect the drone use list to expand significantly, especially in the commercial sector.
I was eager to learn about drones. Your website really helped me in this field. Now I can talk with some good knowledge about drones. Thank you very much.
Darshan, this is the ultimate goal of My Dear Drone. Helping out even the complete noob master the technology behind drones with straightforward information. Happy, you are one of the thousands of people we have already helped.
It is very educating; it is my prayer to God to bless you. Your work is splendid. Thank you so much.
Hey Alphaeus, We hope you learned a few interesting uses for drones from this extensive list. Thanks for your prayers and appreciation. We will be adding more applications to this list soon, so stay tuned.