The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) is fast catching on across many different areas of industry and commerce, especially where they can be used with High Definition (HD) video or streaming in instances where using actual persons may endanger them. Versatile and easy to manoeuvre, these clever devices are usually of the quadcopter form – four rotors provide lift and directional travel for added agility and stability – and can reach serious distances, hence fitting a UAV video transmitter to a drone makes for a very useful piece of kit for many services.
So, who is using drone live broadcasting, and why? Take the search and rescue services, who attend to accidents and perhaps the aftermath of natural disasters, searching for survivors and those less fortunate. The need to survey the immediate area carefully and accurately is an essential early stage procedure, and by using a drone with a HD camera broadcasting in real time the procedure can be carried out in complete safety. Compare also the cost of using a ground operated drone against a fully equipped helicopter, and the savings become immediately apparent.
Furthermore, the use of a drone in the first instance means that the aerial drone video link replaces an actual person venturing into what may be an inherently unsafe situation; buildings that may not be safe to enter can be freely searched by a drone equipped with HD video, and the area surveyed accurately without the need to send people into situations where they may become endangered. With many drones also able to operate autonomously – it can be programmed to search a particular route or area – the use of manpower is far more efficient, as the drone will follow its own routine and broadcast back to base, where the personnel can better understand what they are seeing.
One problem with early transmission systems on UAV’s was that the transmission itself was not instant; the difference in broadcasting wirelessly as opposed to through hard cables was the cause of the problem. The best systems for use with drone live broadcasting systems now offer zero-latency transmission; this means there are no delays, and the HD pictures are relayed to base in real time. In search and rescue use – and in many other instances where drones are utilised – this is a major bonus, and one that only serves to increase the effectiveness of aerial drone video link searches.
It is not only the search and rescue services that are finding drones useful, but many other areas of industry, commerce and the service industries; the law enforcement agencies have found these quadcopter drones useful for surveillance and in place of expensive helicopters, for example, while power companies across the world are increasingly using small, HD broadcast equipped drones to examine power lines for faults where previously they would have needed to send someone up to great heights for a physical examination. The same is true of the wind farm industry, where drones are used to check turbines for faults or damage.
Drones can be used to film for creative projects too, with aerial shots available easily and effectively as well as affordably. With excellent broadcasting equipment available it is possible to provide professional level results without the need to spend a large part o the budget on achieving aerial shots. So take a look at the versatility of drones right now, and see what they can do for you.
