Future Unmanned Systems Impact
The unmanned systems that
will have the most impact on society over the next two decades are unmanned
aerial systems (UAS). The rapid
developments and proliferation of UAS have been profound over the last several
years. Projections for impressive growth
in the market and applications for these platforms are expected in the near and
long term future.
UAS employment in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) is
one of the factors that had led to high public awareness of unmanned
aircraft. Although UAS platforms have
existed long before the GWOT, the high profile operations and media coverage
have made UAS a household name (Luban, 2013). Another factor in the high visibility of UAS
is the development of affordable gimbal mounts, relatively small, lightweight,
robust, high-definition cameras (Such as GoPro models). These developments, combined with quad-rotor
type UAS powerful enough to carry this equipment aloft to achieve useful
altitude and endurance, have given rise to a thriving and enterprising user
community. One only needs to perform a
cursory search on YouTube to find a plethora of videos ranging from whimsical
demonstrations to serious mechanical and design discussions.
Regardless of the positive or negative aspects, the
notoriety gained by UAS has propelled this technology into the public
spotlight. UAS platforms are now being
developed and planned for agricultural, journalistic, energy/utilities sector, construction,
real estate, film, emergency services, law enforcement, and commercial delivery
purposes. UAS research and development
has proceeded at a pace so rapid that potential operators and entrepreneurs
have been waiting on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to determine
regulations for UAS operations (Mayerowitz, 2015).
Once FAA regulations are
in place, the long-awaited advance of UAS into the aforementioned fields will take
place. The UAS market’s economic impact
is expected to be $13 billion during the first three years in the United States
alone. 70,000 new jobs are expected to
accompany this economic development (Jenkins and Vasigh, 2013). The proliferation of UAS will most likely
result in the aircraft becoming common, everyday sights. They will probably gradually become a part of
our daily lives as much as the Internet grew to become.
References
Association of Unmanned
Vehicle Systems International.
(2013). The Economic Impact of
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration
in the United States. Arlington,
VA: Jenkins, D. & Vasigh, B.
Luban, D. (2013, October 23). A Strange and Far-Flung War. Dissent. Retrieved from
Mayerowitz, S. (2015, January 7). Drone Revolution Still Waiting on FAA
Rules. The Wichita
Eagle. Retrieved from http://www.kansas.com/news/business/article5544042.html
