Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane – it’s a construction drone!
Drones are coming to the construction industry and experts concur that they soon will be a common tool on jobsites.
The cost of drones (also known as unmanned air vehicles or UAVs) is dropping as more manufacturers are moving into the commercial market – which falls between the hobby models you buy in retail stores and those built to military specs.
Canada is ahead of the curve in North America, at least in terms of regulation. While the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency does not permit the use of drones for commercial purposes, in 2014 Transport Canada revised regulations for use of three classes of drones – less than two kg, 2.1 to 25 kg, and more than 25 kg (see Right Stuff below).
“The (sales) curve is just starting to go up, it will be a pretty vertical market,” says Tom Range who heads GeoShack’s newly formed North American Imaging Group. The company launched the group in June, in response to customer demand. Its mandate is to supply and support UAVs, mobile mapping, and imaging solutions. “Drones are already being used in Canada for industrial purposes and we have an established customer base in Canada,” Range says. “We plan to build on that.” | READ MORE
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