25 Surprising Things You Can Do With A Drone

FACTS: The popularity of non-military drones has skyrocketed in recent years. It is now possible to get your hands on an easy-to-fly drone with an HD camera for less than $300 and it is only going to get more affordable. One thing is sure, that drones are here to stay, but what can we do with them?

Here is a list of 25 things that you can do with a drone, as compiled by Drones Den. This might inspire some of you, maybe to start your next business or just to have some fun or to make a positive contribution to the society.

1. Take a drone selfie – what could be more satisfying to post on Facebook, than a selfie taken with a drone?
2. Help real estate agents – Various companies have already popped up across the United States offering aerial photography to real estate agents, again, replacing the need for an expensive helicopter. Check out the drone hire companies that offer aerial real estate photography service in your area.
3. Race/challenge your friends – Maybe drone racing will become a popular sport in the future, and then there is always the possibility of having drone wars such as Robot Wars 2.0. The TBS Gemini is one such example of a racing drone.
4. Wedding photography – Although commercial use of drones is not yet legal, wedding photography is a very likely future use for drones and a great money making opportunity.
5. Be a paparazzi – Who says you need a car to chase celebrities down these days? Celebrity pictures can pay well, so if you are a paparazzi, why not use a drone to get an exclusive photo.
6. Inspect gas/oil pipelines and oil rigs – BP is the first oil company to have received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to use a drone to monitor its pipeline network in Alaska. As oil leaks cause havoc to the surrounding communities in the Niger Delta region, unmanned aerial vehicles could be used to monitor these using infrared cameras.
7. Disaster relief – Imagine using drones to deliver clean water and food to hurricane affected areas both in the developed and developing world. In case of another Hurricane Katrina, the government could call on amateur flyers to help out with the effort.
8. Search and rescue – There is also serious potential here. Drones have already proved themselves useful in search and rescue operations. Even with lower flight times, they are bound to be cost effective over using a helicopter. Drones, equipped with HD cameras could locate people after a Tsunami or after a flood.
9. Film live events – Drones filming have already made an appearance at the Sochi Winter Games. It is cheaper and safer to film marathons and races from the air compared to a helicopter, and more versatile than a boom truck. There is also going to be less damage if a drone comes down crashing compared to a full sized helicopter.
10. Walk your dog – With GPS and pre-programmable flight routes coming as standard nowadays, this could become a serious business opportunity. In a way, this would defeat the purpose of dog walking, but if you are pressured for time, why not.
11. Temporary cell towers and WiFi – Facebook have already begun working on building WiFi drones for areas where Internet access is otherwise limited. Drones could also be used to create temporary cell towers after a disaster or in areas of high cell usage e.g. Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
12. Wildlife monitoring – This could be a cheap way of monitoring animals over a wide area. It would require fewer workers and be environmentally friendly as well, provided the animals don’t mind the quadcopter noise.
13. Mail and parcel delivery –Drones are already being used to deliver parcels. Amazon and UPS are investing a lot in drone delivery and are currently testing this concept.
14. Journalism – Riots, floods, regional conflicts could all be captured for the evening news from the safety of an office, while letting the drone take all the risk.
15. Agriculture – Both for monitoring crops in ways never possible before and for drone controlled pesticide, or fertiliser use, in a process known as precision agriculture.
16. Aerial mapping – An improvement to Google maps satellite view is here. Drone aerial mapping can also be used in forestry, natural resource management and planning disaster relief. Some companies have started offering this service.
17. Home helper – Drones could become your next best friend, helping you lift and carry things for you at home or in the garden.
18. Take holiday photos – It will be more memorable and middle class for you to showcase your holiday photos with a twist; all ‘first person view’ and from above, take by your own little drone.
19. Advertising – Ever seen those airplanes dragging around a long banner at high altitude? You will certainly save money and time by advertising on a drone flown banner instead.
20. Security – The average 911 response time is about 10 minutes. What if the police could get a drone to your house in one to two minutes instead? This could reassure you or capture the suspect on camera before he/ she escapes.
21. Deliver your food – Takeaways? A start-up in Germany is already trying to deliver your kebab in less than 10 minutes. Domino Pizzas also have their own drone version that can carry up to two large pizzas within a 4 mile radius.
22. Transport people – Another German company has developed a 16 propeller Volocopter (VC200) that can fly for up to 20 minutes. Drones could soon be an alternative to jetpacks.
23. Deliver medicines – Teams at Harvard and MIT were funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an easy to fly drone that could be used to delivery vaccines and medication to hard to reach places.
24. Film amazing videos – Some of the most breathtaking videos were filmed by drones. While this potential was reserved for those who could afford to take a helicopter in the air to capture the shots, it is now possible to capture 1080p videos with a budget less than $1,000.
25. Whale watching – Drones like the Insitu Integrator are already being used to monitor whales off the coast of Australia.