DRONE INDUSTRY WILL ENRICH ITS PILOTS

Next time you find something in your soup it could very well be a drone. According to the figures, they have proliferated in such a way that they will deal with flies from you to you. Here are a few data to give us an idea of ​​its evolution: in Spain there are already 3,000 specialized companies that offer all kinds of services with unmanned gadgets in charge of 3,700 registered pilots. According to the records by the European Commission, drones will generate 150,000 jobs in the EU by 2050. It is a becoming a popular profession, one of the most attractive occupations in the professional life, according to the young sources of the sector.

These autonomous guided vehicles can be quadcopters, hexacopters, optocopters -depending on the number of propellers-, helicopters or also terrestrial and even aquatic, although when we think of a drone we tend to picture it in the sky. To cite just one case of a water vehicle, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working on a prototype capable of entering the water facilities of a city and detecting leaks, even moving countercurrent.

Drones are also often thought of as something recreational, as a hobby , something to participate in competitions with -races or stunts- or video projects, but it is in the industrial field where applications are multiplying. For instance, thanks to additive manufacturing, oil plants can print the part they require at all times in situ without having to have a complete stock of spare parts, saving space and costs.

Drones, are not only established as a consumer product among the general public -with starting prices starting at 20 euros-, but we also find a wide price range and capabilities. Thus, energy companies such as Endesa or Iberdrola review their windmills and other facilities from the air; Repsol uses them to access remote locations of its oil plants and even to capture images of areas that could be exploited; Navantia in its shipyards to check the status of parts inaccessible to an operator; Intel’s Falcon 8+ drones are being of great help in the restoration work of a Gothic cathedral in Halberstadt, in Germany, to analyze the pieces that need to be restored …

“In many cases, drones are an alternative to human labor that provides greater safety, precision and efficiency in operations.” This is how Manuel García Sañudo, general manager of Terra Solutions at Maxam explains it to us. This company has just won an award with its X-Copter for the Best Idea for the Use of Drones in Civil Engineering. Where appropriate, as they are equipped with gas sensors, it monitors any blast from the air.

Training schools

According to the State Agency for Aviation Safety (AESA), we can find 74 training schools in their piloting and construction and around 20 manufacturers within our borders . Across the European Union, it is estimated that these unmanned aircraft could reach 10% of the civil aviation market by 2028, at a rate of 15,000 million euros per year.

Law has a lot to do with this development. In fact, the sector is experiencing a very sweet moment since in 2015 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US granted hundreds of new exemptions for companies to operate with these devices. That same shock could occur in Spain, where the Council of Ministers approved last December 15 to modify Law 18/2014, much more restrictive.

Although we will have to wait for the publication of the Strategic Plan for Drones – scheduled for this first quarter of the year – the Royal Decree already approved expands the regulatory framework and contemplates, for example, being able to fly over the buildings, towns and gatherings of people, in the open air. and conduct night flights. All this with prior authorization from the Aesa.

Julio Memba, one of the top drone experts in our country, explains that “the previous legislation has improved a lot and can contribute to the professionalization of the sector, but it still has room for improvement.” In his opinion, “laws are still very permissive with the recreational industry and very strict with professionals.” And he gives an example: “I can fly a two-kilo drone in a park at night without asking permission, but if I want to record a wedding professionally, I have to ask permission six months in advance and I don’t even know if they will get back to me in time.”  

The EU states has not been able to agree on this either, and each country has its own initiative and regulation in the use of drones. The European authorities have proposed a plan, the U-Space, to integrate and improve the legislation on safety in drones that fly at low altitude and which they want to take effect in 2019. “I don’t think we will see a single legislation in Europe in such a short period of time, but it is only a matter of time, ”says Memba, who also designs his own drones and is chief pilot at Alpha Unmanned Systems.

From Maxam they consider that “any measure aimed at promoting technological innovation is important, as long as the safety of operations are guaranteed.” He adds that the regulations of each country have a fundamental influence when it comes to facilitating the use of these devices, even more so in his case, since he is a global company: «The existence of a harmonized regulation would significantly help in the deployment of use of these systems, “he concludes.E

xperts are constantly surprised by the advances in this field. «After 20 years flying all kinds of devices, I have seen almost everything and the best thing is that I continue to be surprised. The last thing that blew my mind is the software image stabilization provided by the Alpha 800. It sounds like science fiction to me, “Memba adds. In his role as a designer, he adds that “now the biggest challenge is for the platform to carry out any mission automatically, safely and without human intervention,” he explains.

SOURCE | elEconomista.es