Drones might seem like a big investment, with models made specifically for construction costing anywhere from $3,000 to $300,000 (plus the salary of the drone surveyor). However, when used correctly, drones can save companies money—a lot of it. And, more importantly, drones can be used to make a project safer, faster, and more efficient. A lot of changes are coming with this new technology, but three major benefits are emerging with the use of drones.
Site Safety
Site injuries cost around five billion dollars every year in medical bills, disability, lost income, legal fees, and project delays. Falls are one of the biggest perpetrators, and while a good harness is inexpensive and useful, a drone can prevent the fall from ever occurring. Drones, with their downward-facing sensors and cameras, can get a capture of an entire site from an aerial viewpoint, allowing the user to spot possible hazards from the safety of an office—and without having to climb scaffolding or walk on uneven material.
A drone can also make sure that a site is secure, and it can do so quickly and more regularly than security personnel, who would have to make lengthy rounds. A drone can make sure that expensive equipment is properly and securely stored to avoid damages or theft. While it’s true that a good security camera can do the same (like the V300 Ultimate, a drone is likely to be a lot more dynamic in capturing different angles and wider frames. Unauthorized personnel and potential thieves are easier to spot and root out when they can be tracked from above.
Site Analysis
A surveyor and a drone surveyor might charge the same hourly rate to do a site survey, but drones are able to do it about five times more quickly and accurately than a single person, which can lead to big savings and more accurate analyses. Drones like Skydio have models that offer 3D model scans to account for quality control, progress documentation, and create topographic maps that can be used to foresee and circumvent potential future pitfalls.
One of the benefits of using a drone is that, because it can survey a site quickly, it requires fewer re-surveys to account for data that may have changed over the long period of time usually required for a site survey. While a person might need more than a thousand hours a year to survey multiple large sites, a drone would need less than a hundred. With quick and relevant information, there are fewer delays with the use of a drone.
Communication
A significant issue facing large construction sites is the delay that comes from hazards, investor demands, map adjustments, and site complications. There are apps specifically designed to sort through and streamline requests and information that are constantly flooding in to grind a project to a halt. The nice thing about drones is that they can relay large quantities of information—including video, images, and model comparisons—instantly to multiple people. Anyone with a (rugged) tablet can share data with fellow workers, supervisors, and clients themselves. This allows problem-solving to take place quickly, without having to wait for workers to move on and off the site to learn and relay information.
Constructions has always faced the frustrations and snarls of large sets, numerous employees, and safety hazards, but with the application of drones, those problems are not as insurmountable as they once were.