How Drones Are Transforming Business
New drone technologies will reshape many industries including farming, surveying, filmmaking and newsgathering.
U.S. businesses can’t wait to put drones to work. At Kiplinger, we expect the government to set rules that will allow commercial use of small drones, say, under 55 pounds, in the next year or two. When that happens, look for a new business sector, worth billions and employing thousands, to take off, literally.
Here are some industries eager to take advantage of drones.
For farmers, the ability to check on acres and acres of crops from above is a huge improvement over trudging through fields of crops. Drones will let them spot early signs of pests or stress. Further down the road, larger drones will be cleared to deliver needed chemicals to the plants with pinpoint accuracy. In Japan, the Yamaha RMAX drone has been doing this on steep rice fields and other locations for decades now.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Now that even a small drone can carry a high-resolution camera, television news directors everywhere are dying to add an unmanned “eye in the sky.” Celebrities and others may object to the overhead media attention, but news gatherers won’t be shy. Same goes for filmmakers. Drones have already been used overseas to shoot movie scenes.
For mapmakers and surveyors, drones are the biggest thing since, well, global positioning. Drones will take GPS to another level. By following a programmed track while flying, drones can mark precise GPS locations on the images they collect. And boom, you’ve got an instant map of an area that might be difficult or even dangerous to cross by foot and vehicle. Trimble Navigation has a winged drone, the UX5, that can perform this function, even in bad weather.
But that’s not all these little flying machines are capable of. Read How Drones Will Transform These Six Industries to learn even more.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
In his former role as Senior Online Editor, David edited and wrote a wide range of content for Kiplinger.com. With more than 20 years of experience with Kiplinger, David worked on numerous Kiplinger publications, including The Kiplinger Letter and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. He co-hosted Your Money's Worth, Kiplinger's podcast and helped develop the Economic Forecasts feature.
-
Gifting While You're Alive: Tax Benefits and Practical Tips
Why wait until you're gone to help the people and causes you love? Get a jump-start on gifting and see all the good you can do.
By Jamie Battmer Published
-
Should You Help Your Adult Children Buy a Home?
Instead of passing on an inheritance, giving your children cash to buy a home can be a smart move — as long as you’re not jeopardizing your own retirement.
By Ann Marie Etergino, CIMA® Published
-
Text-Generating AI Faces Major Legal Risks: Kiplinger Economic Forecasts
Economic Forecasts Major legal risks to text-generating artificial intelligence: Kiplinger Economic Forecasts
By John Miley Published
-
Add a VPN to Surf the Internet Safely
Technology To help you fight identity theft, consider adding a VPN.
By Emma Patch Published
-
Best Video Apps for Staying in Touch
Technology We rate five video-chat platforms for user-friendliness and security features.
By Emma Patch Published
-
13 Things That May Soon Disappear Forever (The Pandemic Edition)
Technology Emerging technologies (and now the COVID-19 pandemic) are putting an end to these familiar items and practices.
By David Muhlbaum Published
-
Another COVID-19 Victim: The Touch Screen
Technology Consumers will look askance at anything they’re asked to touch, leading to a surge in app usage and other alternatives to contacting public screens.
By John Miley Published
-
12 Ways COVID-19 Will Change the Tech Industry
Technology
By John Miley Published
-
Drone Delivery Gets Closer to Reality
Technology What’s that up in the sky? A bird? A plane? Nah, just your drugstore order.
By Kaitlin Pitsker Published
-
Yahoo Reaches Data Breach Settlement
Technology More than 3 billion Yahoo account holders were affected by the data hacks, which occurred between 2012 and 2016. And a $117.5 million settlement has been proposed.
By Sandra Block Published