Drone Trends: How Will The Future Look Like? |
Posted: November 26, 2016 |
Drones are the recent pinnacle of technology that charmed the general public worldwide. Sure there are other more impressive advances in technology out there, but few who took the world by storm like the drone. However, today we won’t discuss the current advancements of drones, but rather take a look into the future and discuss some predictable drone trends. Trends we can already seeLet’s first sink into the most popular trends that humanity has established and are developing right now. Camera OptionsDrones had come a long way since they were first invented and the thought of strapping a camera on it for surveillance or just capturing specific moments was just an ambitious idea. Now you can find hundreds of different models built solely for that purpose. Equipped with cameras with resolutions from 240 to 1080 pixels, made for surveillance, zooming in to capture precise moments or just very light and aerodynamic fit for capturing beautiful sceneries. Some also have extra features like night vision and thermal tracking to fill every need. Gimbal MechanicsThis category is usually associated with some of the needs we just presented. The Gimbal Mechanics operate on 1-2 or even 3 axes and serve the purpose of stabilizing the drone in mid-flight. They are usually used for aerial filming and photography, fighting against the wind, turbulence and different surface levels these mechanics help your drone make the most pristine and precise shots you can think of. Protection MeasuresThese are one of the most obvious trends, but very important. To benefit the consumer, help them avoid expenses on repainting and maintenance drone manufacturers came up these protection measures to increase the lifespan of their products in case of novice/inexperienced handling or just simple accidents.
As a bonus, many drones have built-in lights, so that they can better be seen in darker conditions and avoid unwanted accidents. Smart FeaturesAs we enter the more modern trends, many drones come equipped with smart software to help you better fly a drone or, even just let it fly by itself. From a “safe return home” feature that lets the drone memorize the area it started flying from and use that information to return back to it in case signal loss or malfunctions, to “headless flight”, a system that lets the drone fly and maneuver like a helicopter, going in any direction without the need of turning, much like a plane would. A more recent smart feature that has been developed is “track target”, the function of tracking, and following a specific target with or without the assistance of controller. And when you enhance all the features we just presented and mold them into one drone you essentially have the “autopilot” feature, an advanced software that lets your drone fly by itself, just program or input what commands to follow and just sit back and let it do them on its own. FPV OptionsIn contrast to the “autopilot”, the First Person View options is an enhanced do it yourself trend where, with the help of a built-in camera, you can control the drone from a distance and you don’t need to keep an eye on it. You can fly it using the drone’s perspective from far away just looking at a motion, much like you would be playing a video game, just remember that after a crash there is no respawn. The Modding CommunityAnother thing drones and video games have in common is modding. Mods are modifications, features, add-ons that you can add to your drone to satisfy a specific need, or even multiple. From shifting its performances, adding a useful feature or just remodeling it to look like something else mods are a good way to improve your drone or even making older models useful again. Just remember that the modding community tempers with the model in ways that the manufacturer may not agree or may not work as intended, so you should proceed at your own risk. Trends of the FutureNow let’s talk about some of the trends that seem to be on many people’s minds but haven’t seen the light of day yet. This will help us have a better understanding of where drones are headed in the future. Advanced Co-pilot SystemsThe advanced co-pilot system is going to be the software that helps you fly your drone in a safer and easier manner and even be the go to solution for novices if they want to learn how to fly a drone. It will not fly itself too much but it should be a good alternative from the very expensive “autopilot” models. New TechnologiesAdvances in technology will come and drones will have improved systems to help with flight of other necessities. Like the Panoptes Ebumber 4, a drone that uses sonar technology to identify its surroundings and find its way through obstacles even better than humans could. Or technologies that will help film and photography enthusiasts control the camera of a drone independently midflight and have lens or filter options at their fingertips. New HardwareDrone manufacturers in correlation with the modding community will help establish the future improvement on drones. For example, one of the most disappointing facts about drones is their short battery lifespan. New ways to enlarge the flight sessions are being discussed, like the innovation provided by Sunlight Photonics. They try to use sunlight as a source of power for drones instead of batteries. Manufacturers are thinking about advanced systems with more processing power that will make drones on par with computers’ power to solve difficult problems. The small storage space that current drones are equipped with will be replaced with entire hard drives to increase their storage capacity. And even the controllers will be revamped to better suit the needs of the pilot as well as being very user-friendly. All in all, the future of drones isn’t clear but it seems to be heading in the right direction. Still, only time will tell how the drone trends will evolve.
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