Drone sales are on the rise with each passing year and more and more people are embracing the idea of owning such devices. With all the attention, these unmanned aerial vehicles are now finding more practical and innovative drone uses.

Drones are no more just for the supreme enthusiasts as these devices have penetrated the world of technology and a lot of businesses are looking forward to utilize the capacities of these machines to the best effects. There are some very basic uses while there are also some really creative ideas that you could make use of. Let us find out how you can put these drones to work.
Military uses of drones

Drones have found a number of applications in the military and defense world. This is especially true in the case of the defense of the United States of America.

In fact, the US Government was first known to start its experiments with the unmanned aerial vehicles way back in 1917.
Bomb detection

Owing to the small size of the drone , they can usually penetrate into constricted spaces. Add to that, effective cameras and this makes the drones suitable for purposes of bomb detection. Thus, these aerial vehicles are apt for making us aware of unexploded bombs and save lives.

Military drones
Surveillance

The defense of any country usually tends to conduct regular surveys in order to ensure protection of the people and the place.

Surveillance Drone

Using drones and robot , in this case, could be an interesting idea. This reduces manual labor and you get a wider field of view. This also does not hamper the normal lives of the people making it easier for them.
Air strikes

These unmanned aerial vehicles are also used for the purpose of air strikes. It had once been confirmed by President Obama that they used drones regularly to attack militants in the tribal areas of Pakistan. They hover around suspected areas, as controlled by the defense personnel and they can be operated in particular areas in order to fulfill military operations. For much more information on this topic, we suggest checking out our article about law enforcement drones.

Drone air strikes
Non-military uses of drones
Filming and journalism

The world of media has really conquered the idea of using drones to their fullest extent. A lot of movies these days are shot using quadcopters and other drones.

This idea has given the movie industry a completely new look and some of the names that come up when we talk about filmography with drones are James Bond’s Skyfall, the well-acclaimed Leonard Di Caprio’s The Wolf of Wall Street, the evergreen Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the popular television series Game of Thrones and the likes.

Drone Filming and journalism

Besides, the ability of the drones to reach places where reporters cannot reach has heightened their use in the world of journalism. Aerial footage for live broadcast is becoming increasingly useful these days, and you can get much more familiar with this topic by reading our article about the best drones for filming.
Shipping and delivery

Even though the shipping and delivery applications of the drones are still under process, this idea could be revolutionary for the world. This could significantly improve delivery times and reduce human labor. Be it delivering pizzas, letters, or even small parcels, these programmed drones could do the work for you.

DHL has for the first time tested parcel deliveries with a drone

In fact, Amazon is working on its resources to facilitate 30-minute delivery services by means of drones. If this is brought to fruition, more than half of your shopping and food orders could be done within a span of a few minutes, with drones delivering your packages at your doorstep. You can find out much more about these type of drones by reading our article about delivery drones.
Disaster management

One of the most important applications for these unmanned vehicles lies in disaster management. It is often seen that there is utter chaos and mismanagement of resources soon after a disaster, be it a man-made or a natural calamity. Drones could help you significantly here.

Drone disaster management

With powerful cameras, these devices could collect information and pictures of the debris working in a specific area. You would get clearer footages of the accident site without having to spend a lot of money on helicopters. Add to that, owing to their small size, they are able to penetrate into places that would otherwise be difficult for helicopters to enter and provide close-up views.
Rescue operations and healthcare

Usually, a rescue operation is a fight against time. You need to get the work done fast and smoothly. This is where drones come in handy. With the help of thermal sensors, drones can locate lost persons and are especially useful at night or even in challenging terrains.

Rescue operations and healthcare

These can be deployed quickly and can travel through small spaces. Besides, these aerial vehicles are also useful for sending in food or medical supplies to unreachable locations before the rescue team comes in to help. Thus, drones can be the first to arrive and collect information for rescue operations.
Archeological surveys

Over the years, a lot of people have spent a lot of time and energy over archeological surveys. Now, drones have made this work easier since they can bring us important footage and essential details about these archeological sites.

Drone archeological surveys

This has significantly helped the archeologists in their mission of discovery.
Geographic mapping

Drones also have had an enormous effect in the field of 3D geographic mapping. There are regions on the earth that are not easily accessible to humans. This might include some dangerous coastlines or unattainable mountain tops. But for the purpose of studying the terrain and preparing 3D maps, drones have been put to use.

Geographic mapping drone

This technology is now available to everyone to capture imagery for mapping these locations. Thus, geologists now find it easier to collect data from these sites to pursue mapping processes.
Law enforcement

Drones have a lot of potential in terms of law enforcement – these devices have the innate ability of hovering around locations without drawing much attention from the people. Thus, this can be used for surveillance or for public safety.

Crowds of people can be monitored and criminal activity can be detected in case there is an emergency. These can also be used for law enforcement officials for crime scenes where a more detailed view can give us more information about the situation.

Law enforcement drone

Besides, situations of fire outbreak could also be curtailed by the help of drones. It is always better to send drones first in a fire outbreak to see the situations before humans get inside.

Moreover, drones are also used by border patrol officials who work towards monitoring criminal activity at the border especially the transport with drugs. Uses of drones for traffic monitoring could also be another idea. Traffic surveillance with drones could be one of the biggest applications for this device.
Safety inspections

Some companies need to carry out regular inspections in order to ensure safety of their infrastructure. This includes surveying power lines, oil and gas pipelines, wind turbines, bridges and buildings under construction and the likes. Drones are being put to use for these purposes.

Drone inspects pannels

Regular aerial monitoring can lead to significant improvements in constructing infrastructure leading to improved performances. Besides, if the drones are small enough, they can get close to capturing imagery that can give us a more detailed idea of the construction.
Agriculture

Drones have also found applications in the field of agriculture. This is especially true for large scale farmers who have reported significant improvements in crop yields with the use of these drones. Regular aerial monitoring of agricultural lands can provide us with a more in depth analysis of crop performance.

Drone for agriculture

With the help of the near infrared sensors, one could study the health of these crops and farmers could act accordingly. Moreover, drones can perform this analysis at low costs with no impacts on the fields or the surrounding areas. This not only leads to healthy crop growth, but also increases their yield.
Wildlife monitoring

Just like how drones are working on agricultural lands to improve their yields, these unmanned aerial vehicles are also striving towards monitoring the fauna of the regions.

Drone Wildlife monitoring

There are two specific advantages of this. Firstly, wildlife monitoring could lead to the prevention of poaching, which is one of the reasons why a lot of animals are getting endangered these days. Secondly, the footage from the aerial devices could help us study animal behavior and analyze their patterns.

The best thing about using drones for these services is that they do not affect or disturb wildlife. Besides, they can also be used at night with thermal camera sensors to monitor them at all times. A lot of wildlife sanctuaries and conservation parks are thus resorting to drones to ensure safety.
Weather forecasting

One of the most important uses of drones lies in weather forecasting. This has, once again, given new light to the concept of predicting the weather conditions. With exceptional cameras and effective sensors, these drones can collect important information that could aid in weather forecasts.

Weather drone

For instance, sending drones into the hurricanes, tornadoes and the likes could bring us essential footages to study their patterns and occurrences. These can focus in on detailed weather parameters and are also apt for the job owing to their unmanned nature.
Aerial photography

This is indeed one of the first known applications of drones. Because of improved technology, more and more drones are now well equipped to carry heavy camera gear that could really help enthusiasts in delivering aerial views of the specific regions.

Drone Aerial photography

Besides, the drones, these days, are stable and can give you crisp and clear images. With the features of live Wi-Fi streaming, you are also entitled to get First Person Views of the drone’s movements.

If you can add a gimbal, it stabilizes the camera to get you better pictures. Besides, you can control what the camera sees and captures right from your smartphone and get HD video recording for best results.
Unique and creative uses of drones

So far, we have discussed the essential and practical applications of drones. Let us now focus on some of the most innovative uses that could change the way we look at drones. Here are some ideas.
The drone selfie or the dronie

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to capture a ‘selfie’ with a drone from a certain height?

Drone selfie or the dronie

The selfie is the word of the decade now with more and more people engaging into this. With selfie sticks doing the rounds now, it would be a rather great idea to use a drone for this purpose. This is indeed one of the best uses of a drone.

This would mean a lot more people could fit into the picture and you would get a real aerial view. Besides, you could control the camera functions right from the base. This could well work as the longest distance selfie.
Drone racing

This is another popular activity that is making its way into our lives. A lot more people are now engaging into this sport and pursuing it as a hobby. It is like video game racing except that you encounter real situations and you are controlling a real drone.

Drone racing

Drone racing in the woods is not an uncommon activity. Besides, it can closely resemble real bike racing with a lot more thrill since you would be controlling the device from a distance. For this purpose, you would need an agile drone that can make swift turns and acrobatic movements.
In conclusion

Drones have found a number of applications in different sectors. They are no longer limited to just military uses and different businesses are now investing in these devices for a swifter and more responsive customer service, especially in the case of parcel deliveries.

Drone racing has become rather popular now, but drones are still used as a toy. Small scale tricopters and quadcopters are still used for flying indoors and also outdoors just for gaining some flight experience. Having said that, drones have the ability and potential to change the way sports, military operations, and businesses work.