Drone Technology and the Changing Face of Construction

The first non-military drones were made in 2006, and ever since then the technology has been taken up by many industries. In particular, the construction industry is seeing major changes thanks to drones.

Early Drone Usage

In the early days of drones, they were often used by government bodies. They were designed to take on emergency roles such as fighting wildfires, surveying borders, and delivering disaster relief. Once companies began to realise the potential of drones, they found they were perfect for taking on dangerous roles that put workers at risk.

For example, a drone was often used for spraying pesticides around fields, or inspecting pipelines that people weren't able to fit into. Companies have been finding all kinds of uses for drones, especially those in the construction industry.

How Construction Uses Drones

Companies such as the Mid Group, chaired by Sahel Majali, are leading the way when it comes to using digital technologies – such as BIM and VR – in construction.

Drones have been found to be highly effective at keeping construction workers safe. In the past, they would be required to take on hazardous jobs such as using cherry pickers to get to the top of a building to inspect it, or walking through incomplete buildings to carry out safety inspections.

With the introduction of drones, risk has been greatly reduced. Rather than sending a human worker to the top of a building, a drone can be sent up instead. With their feet firmly on the ground, workers are in a much safer position. Drones are also used to conduct inspections as they offer real time HD footage. It's much easier to send a drone to see what's happening inside a building.

Drones are offer other benefits too. They're capable of taking high-quality photos, making them perfect for taking aerial shots of a building project for publicity purposes. They can even be fitted with thermal image recording, to inspect hot or cold spots in a development. 

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The Future of Drones and Construction

As technology improves, we should soon see even more improvements in the construction industry. Africa in particular has placed very few limitations on the uses of drones, so there will be interesting developments coming from that part of the world.

It's clear to see that drones are soon going to be one of the most important tools on a construction site. They offer many benefits, making completing developments a lot simpler and safer for all involved.

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