Vol.23 Can you eat with a drone pilot? Part 2 [Shu Kobayashi's DRONE MANIA] | DRONE

Continuing from the last time, I would like to think about what to do to eat with a drone. Last time, I wrote about the aerial photography that I actually do and the drone school.This time other

Let's think about these.

Drone inspection

I think that the most important field in the future will be inspections when using drones in industrial fields. In Japan, the infrastructure and equipment built during the period of high economic miracle are aging. It takes a lot of labor and labor to inspect them. In particular, it is difficult for people to go to high places and narrow areas, and there are many places where scaffolding and cranes are required, so it is a field where time and effort can be greatly reduced by inspecting with a drone.

Then, it's not so easy to get an inspection job right after I bought DJI's Mavic Air 2. Of course, maneuvering skills are required, but more than that, knowledge necessary for inspection is required. It also requires knowledge of the camera.

From the sensor size and the distance between the lens and the subject, what is the resolution of 1 pixel and how many mm, what should be the shutter speed to prevent blurring in the image, what is the problem in the first place? If you don't understand the fundamentals of what to check, what to check if you have a bridge, and what to check for concrete, it just gets in the way.

In addition, admission education may be required to enter the factory. Safety shoes, a safety cap (helmet), and a safety belt for high altitudes are also required. Recently, the law has changed, and it is no longer possible to use a safety belt that can be wrapped around the waist, and a full harness that can be used for rock climbing is required. There are various things such as the full harness cannot be used unless it is a new standard.

Therefore, it may be quicker for the person who originally did the inspection work to learn how to use the drone than to learn the inspection method from a place where you do not know anything.

Drone surveying

In the field of industrial use of drones, it seems that drone surveying is being used to some extent. The drone is programmatically flown in a grid pattern, and point cloud data and ortho images (distortion-corrected bird's-eye view images) are created based on the grid. Nowadays, the flight course is set just by specifying the range from the map and entering the set value, and some software can even perform post-processing, so it can be said that it has become quite easy.

As you may have noticed in the process up to this point, it is not the case that if you buy a drone and learn how to use the software, you will soon be able to work. Surveying is also a job that cannot be done without knowledge of surveying.

In the past, accuracy could not be obtained without setting a reference point, but now GPS correction technology has advanced and accuracy can be obtained even without a reference point, but even so, a rating point is set and accuracy is achieved. Verification is required. Even if you know only the drone, you cannot verify the accuracy.

Pesticide spraying, investigation

Agricultural chemicals have been sprayed on single-rotor aircraft equipped with engines even before drones became common. This is a field that has already been put into practical use. In Japan, there are only a part of large-scale farms such as Hokkaido, and there are many small farms such as mountainous areas. There are many height differences, and I think that spraying pesticides with a drone is very efficient.

There are also many products for multi-rotor type pesticide spray drones, making it easier to enter. The fact that there are many people entering the market seems to mean that the unit price is cheaper. Also, when you make a request, each schedule will be adjusted and waiting will occur, so it seems that farmers are purchasing and operating drones so that they can spray when they want to spray it, instead of asking people. It's easier to operate than a single-rotor aircraft, so it's natural to feel like doing it yourself.

Also, in the agricultural field, we are looking for a method to use ordinary cameras and multi-spectral cameras for analysis of growing conditions, pests, diseases, etc. However, this is also easy to take, but it can be said that research is still underway on how to use it after that.

Drone production

Seven or eight years ago, it became a business just by assembling a drone. However, it is now full of products with a high degree of perfection. It will be difficult just to assemble it. However, there are currently some moves to eliminate Chinese products. As I mentioned in the previous article, I hope you can read the details, but in a sense, a domestic drone is required.

The SONY Airpeak S1 was announced, which was a big news. The Airpeak S1 is a medium-sized aircraft equipped with a mirrorless camera. There are some large aircraft made in Japan. What isn't right now is a small aircraft, or a MAVIC class aircraft in DJI. It's not easy, but if you make this class, it will sell worldwide. Of course, functions and performance higher than MAVIC are essential.

Drone racer

While writing this article, I came up with the idea that there was such a field as a drone racer. I heard that the prize money for the race held in Dubai a few years ago was 100 million yen. If you become the top player in the world, you will earn enough. However, I just want to be a top player.

Also, drone racing competitions are held in Japan, but no one is eating just the prize money. In Japan, even sports players have to work part-time except for major sports.

I think that future development will be difficult if we do not consider profits as entertainment a little more. However, e-sports has become a hot topic, so it would be interesting to ride on it in the future. Personally, I think it is better to create a situation where it is easy for the spectators to watch the game, such as setting an easy-to-understand course such as an oval course and increasing the size of the aircraft, instead of setting a technical course.

summary

In summary, you can't eat just by flying a drone. But it's not just about drones. Even if you can make delicious croquettes, I think that it will be a business only if it goes well, where to sell it and to whom.

When a new technology or product attracts attention, there is an image that it is profitable just to use it, but that is not the case. What I thought independently was that sales force was everything. It doesn't matter what the aerial photography technique is. I think the relationship that gives you a job is important.

And the surest way to get into the drone industry from other industries is to add a drone to your existing hand. I think it's best to find such a method. In that case, if a cameraman or a special machine shop uses a drone, the image will be wider, and it may be convenient to add a drone to surveying, civil engineering, and construction-related work.

There may be businesses other than those listed here that have an affinity for drones. I think that is the aim of the future.