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EpicAdventure
Mar 14, 2008, 02:58 PM
I thought I would try to start a thread on commercial applications of UAVs. I'm fascinated with UAVs and MAVs just from the hobbyist standpoint of loving RC planes and aviation in general. However, I'm wondering what possibilities might exist to make money off of UAVs from a commercial standpoint.

I'm curious what applications people have thought about -- even just at the brainstorming level.

Here is a short list I have thought about:
* There are certainly military and law enforcement applications to UAV/MAVs. These applications are pretty easy to understand -- troops wanting to be able to look over the hill for bad guys, patrolling the border, security, etc.
http://www.honeywell.com/sites/portal?smap=aerospace&page=mav_video&theme=T8

Ideas related to aerial photography:
* Mapping/GIS
* Marketing -- real estate, ...
* Biological surveys/animal tracking
* Agricultural applications -- field inspection

Other
* Weather/atmospheric research

Example Companies
* Pict'Earth (http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/06/pictearth_uav_aerial.html)
http://www.pict-earth.com/indexuk.html
* http://www.sky-borg.com/

Regulatory stuff

So let's say that UAVs eventually take off for whatever reasons. What are people's thoughts on regulatory issues? How will the FAA regulate them? Anyone know where things are currently from a regulatory standpoint? I suspect it is probably not a great idea to take any RC plan and flying it over downtown San Fransisco or any other metro area...
zlite
Mar 14, 2008, 03:29 PM
What are people's thoughts on regulatory issues? How will the FAA regulate them? Anyone know where things are currently from a regulatory standpoint?

If only there were a Regulatory FAQ at the very top of the front page of this forum that answers that....oh wait--there is (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831627) ;)

Simple aswer: all those are great ideas, and all effectively banned at the moment by an impossible COA process.
patrickegan
Mar 14, 2008, 09:50 PM
www.rcapa.net U.S.

www.uvs-info.com Euro
kd7ost
Mar 15, 2008, 10:50 AM
We started a forum in RCGroups to showcase commercial ventures in using UAV's and AP airplanes. You can fine more useage information here.

http://www.rcgroups.com/aerial-photography-for-scientific-and-historical-discovery-484/

Dan
lvspark
Mar 16, 2008, 01:23 PM
Agriculture from a $32 slowstick..
zlite
Mar 16, 2008, 02:50 PM
Very nice! Can you tell us more about that image? I presume that some sort of spectral filter to show...what?
CenTexFlyer
Mar 16, 2008, 03:08 PM
Cooties!
lvspark
Mar 17, 2008, 01:57 AM
I'll make it short to not distract from the thread.
The picture was over a vineyard taken with a decent 3.2mp. No filters were used. It was post processed in photoshop. The resulting image has very few colors and it makes it easier for the grower to see different growing patterns (problems) that they would not normally be able to notice from the ground.
Jack Crossfire
Mar 17, 2008, 04:19 AM
The first killer application is going to be an autonomous micro copter which flies from your hand to several feet in front of U and takes your picture. It'll use sonar & machine vision for navigation. It's not a service & it doesn't use any parts U can buy, but this is how Chinese think.
EpicAdventure
Mar 17, 2008, 01:41 PM
The first killer application is going to be an autonomous micro copter which flies from your hand to several feet in front of U and takes your picture. It'll use sonar & machine vision for navigation. It's not a service & it doesn't use any parts U can buy, but this is how Chinese think.

And the objective is just so you can get a picture of yourself? Is this something that you will have in your pocket when you are at the sign to Disneyland and want a picture to show you standing in front of it?
patrickegan
Mar 17, 2008, 06:07 PM
I didn't think of that :cool: