In recent years, the use of Unmanned Aerial System (or UAS) technologies, commonly known as drones, has grown considerably. Additionally, so have the many uses and fields of application in which these vehicles have come to make a difference.  

The increasing accessibility due to technological developments has made it easier to use drones not only for recreational purposes but also for commercial use. This increased accessibility has also made easier their use in academic research and within companies.  

Though drone technologies might still have some challenges to overcome, their use can offer great advantages in many fields, including research, where collecting data with these vehicles and processing it can help streamline processes and make previously inaccessible advancements possible.  

The wide spectrum of UAS applications 

The drone vehicle itself is, in essence, a combination of flying sensors and actuators. Some of these elements are necessary for flying and controlling the vehicle, while others are part of what is known as the ‘payload’. Without any sensors, a drone cannot fly; think about a drone trying to communicate with a remote control without an antenna, or without even a GPS. However, even with basic sensors, a drone without a payload lacks purpose. 

 The most common payload implemented in a drone is a camera, but depending on what type of data you want to collect, what you want to do with that information, and in general what you want to use the drone for, the type of payload can vary.  

These are just a few of the many possible fields in which the use of drones offers advantages. 

• Mapping 

Drones can be used for topography surveying, reducing the usual time and workload traditionally employed from the ground. This is done with the use of sensors like LiDAR's, which measure distances with the help of lasers, and by using RGB or multispectral cameras for photogrammetry (overlap of images). The generated maps can be used for multiple purposes, like agriculture, cartography, construction, urban planning, and others. 

• Agriculture 

Drones are a great asset in agriculture applications, since they can sweep large areas and offer a different point of view than that of the human eye. They can be used for precision crop monitoring, optimizing this way the use of resources, such as water and chemical products, and improving the quality and quantity of the produce. The most common payloads in agriculture are RGB and multispectral cameras, but also systems for dispensation of fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. 

• Visual content creation 

This includes photography and filming for all types of media, such as movies, shows, social media, publicity, news, concerts, etc. 

• Rescue and Surveillance 

The use of AI and sensors like thermal cameras on drones can help detect humans or animals in areas that are difficult to access or that have low visibility. UAS with other types of payloads can help greatly in rescue missions, for example, by providing a defibrillator, a first aid kit or simply a light to follow at night. 

• Industry 

Drones can be used in many industrial applications, such as surveying, monitoring and inspection of assets and processes, maintenance, or payload transportation. They can be helpful in risky environments (e.g., inspection of wind turbines or power lines) or where access is a limitation (e.g., tight or inaccessible spaces for humans or other types of robots). 

• Nature and wildlife monitoring 

The advantage of accessing difficult areas or making observations from a distance can be helpful in situations related with nature, such as assessment of natural disasters (e.g., volcanoes, earthquakes, floodings or landslides), monitoring of natural resources, like forests or rivers, or monitoring of endangered or vulnerable species.  

Observations in nature can also include those related to the study of climate change, for example with the use of sensors for measuring temperature and air quality or observing changes in coastlines and glaciers.  

• Payload transportation 

Drones can now be used to transport objects, and even people, from one point to another. This can include package delivery, providing humanitarian aid in emergencies, urgent medical deliveries, or transportation of produce, like wild berries in the FEROX project. 

• Research 

Drones can be used in all the previous fields and many more through research activities, which help make not only important technological advancements, but also advancements related to humans and how we interact with everything that surrounds us.  

Field Research Using Drones

The development of UAS has skyrocketed in the last years and is still growing thanks to the constant research carried out on these aerial systems, making them available each time to more and more people. 

However, this availability of drones has helped expand the scope of field research in other areas thanks to the use of new types of sensors, new approaches to traditional research tasks, and many other advantages to collecting data with drones: 

• Different point of view 

The fact that drones can offer a perspective different than that of the human eye from the ground is translated to the acquisition of research data that was previously inaccessible or difficult to obtain.  

Some examples of this are getting footage up close of a volcanic eruption; collecting data from big and dense forests through different seasons; counting animal populations without scaring them; conducting archaeological research from the sky; or collecting data that would have otherwise been collected by a person climbing up to a high location (e.g., a wind turbine). 

• Autonomous missions  

Programming drones to conduct field studies autonomously allows researchers to do other things from the ground, while large amounts of data are being collected. This can include analysing the data being collected instead of having to collect it themselves, or doing manual tasks that can only be done by a human.  

• Multitasking 

UAS can collect different types of data simultaneously, such as RGB, hyperspectral and thermal images, or readings from multiple sensors (e.g., temperature, altitude, wind speed, air conditions, etc.), while also executing other tasks, such as letting go of payload. 

• Increased efficiency 

The combination of the previous points increases the efficiency of field research tasks by reducing the time used by researchers not only through autonomous multitasking drone missions, but by not having to transport themselves to specific locations that can also be dangerous or difficult to access. 

• Data consistency 

Another great advantage of using drones in research is the repeatability of measurements and acquisition of data. Since drone missions can be programmed and automatized, data can be collected keeping track or controlling many variables. A drone can collect data from the exact same sequence of coordinates by different vehicles, at different times, speeds, altitudes, weather conditions, lighting conditions, etc. to minimize the effect of variability in studies. 

• Custom solutions 

There are multiple types of UAS, such as multirotor, fixed wing, or VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing), and their selection depends on the research mission and requirements, such as range, precision, type of data collected, flight altitude, desired autonomy (battery duration), etc.  

Depending on the system used, it’s possible to modify it so it adapts to the specific requirements of a field research study. For example, researchers can add a thermal camera to a drone that only had a RGB camera if the system is compatible, and it’s needed for collecting specific data.  

• Share progress 

Even the cinematographic aspect of using a drone to obtain footage from research tasks is useful for showcasing the advancements made in a project. 

However, not everything related to drones is easy. There are still some challenges and limitations of using drones in general, including in research. Some of these include: 

• Cost of the technologies: depending on the requirements of the mission, the purchase and use of UAS can get expensive. 

• Autonomy: both operational autonomy and energy autonomy are currently important limitations, since fully autonomous missions are not yet infallible, and the energy autonomy can be very low depending on the mass of the UAS and its payload and on the required energy to feed all the vehicle components. The need to extend energy autonomy of drones is directly related to the goal of minimizing their impact on the environment, first by electrifying the systems, and second, by using renewable energies for this electricity that are not harmful to the environment. 

• Range: the operational range or distance that can be covered by an UAS is directly affected by the energy autonomy and the range of the communication systems used. 

• Regulations: the obligation to follow regulations can imply some limitations. For example, flying in urban areas or near airports is usually prohibited without the appropriate permissions. 

• Pilots: trained pilots are needed not only for manual missions, but for now also to supervise autonomous flights. 

• Safety: although the reliability of UAS technologies is constantly improving, there can still be malfunctions or human-related accidents. That’s why it’s vital to always keep the necessary safety measures during missions.  

• Noise: depending on the application, the noise emitted by the propellers and other components can be a limitation, for example, if the presence of animals or people is part of the mission.  

• Environment conditions: UAS are increasingly resistant to adverse weather conditions, but most drones are currently limited by harsh conditions like wind or rain.  

All these challenges will be soon solved thanks to research and developments in the technologies used by UAS. For example, implementing alternative energy sources that are more efficient and environmentally friendly can increase autonomy, range, and even cost.  

Additionally, making these systems more reliable and resistant to any types of conditions can minimise the implied risks of drone operations.  help make drone missions completely autonomous, and consequently reduce the regulation limitations. 

FEROX Project: Drones and Nature Working Together

Drones are a key technology, together with AI and big-data analysis, in the FEROX project. The main uses of UAS within the project are: 

1. to collect data in the form of images containing berries that are employed to teach AI algorithms to detect them, 

2. to create point cloud maps of forests, 

3. to collect the geotagged images that will conform the berry yield maps thanks to the developed AI models, 

4. to transport buckets filled with berries by pickers from one point to another flying above the tree canopy. 

Alongside those previously mentioned, the use of drones in FEROX offers many advantages in the development of this research project. These include: 

• Easy access through challenging areas, such as swamps, where cloudberries usually grow. The mapping of these areas with drones can save pickers from having to sweep them when there aren’t any berries.  

• The planning of autonomous drone missions and selection of systems with enough energy autonomy allows the sweeping of large areas in less time than what would be needed by a person on foot, creating very large datasets (both images and other types of data) that can then be analysed through machine learning. 

• Research conducted in FEROX with drones can be extrapolated into other fields that also advantage from the use of these systems, such as other agriculture applications, wildfire detection and extinction, rescue missions in the wild, or navigation through forests. 

• The research tasks carried out in relation to human-robot interactions can help develop new technologies or change the way we use the current ones, for example, developing drones that are more respectful with nature and wildlife or improving safety measures. 

Conclusion

The applications of UAS are endless thanks to the many advantages they offer in comparison to more traditional approaches. And these advantages are especially applicable to research, where drones have already and are still revolutionizing the academic field, allowing to develop the full potential of research projects. 

However, there are still technological developments that must take place in order to make the most of the use of drones for collecting data in research. Some examples are implementing solutions that make the systems withstand worse weather conditions; increase their operation range and energy autonomy; or improve operational autonomy so data can be collected continuously and with little to no human intervention or supervision.   

The endless applications of drones in the present make them a key element not only for recreational or commercial uses, but also for carrying out field research tasks in which the collection of data is fundamental to generate new knowledge. From offering a different point of view to the researchers to allowing them to carry out other tasks while drones autonomously collect data, the advantages are plentiful. 

However, some challenges still need overcoming to take full advantage of what drones have to offer. FEROX is an example of a research projects that is currently working with drone technologies to collect data in the field. FEROX is focusing not only on the data itself, but also on the human aspect of the interactions with robots, and the effect of using drones and other types of technologies in natural environments. 

In the FEROX project, drones are not only a key element to carry out research tasks, but they are also being studied at the same time to make advancements in these UAS related challenges. So, make sure you stay tuned to all our updates to see how we use drones in FEROX in the next years!