Free the Drones

Drones for offshore and maritime missions: Opportunities and barriers

'Drones are fundamentally based on a well-established and mature technology that has earlier been associated with the military, but more recently drones have enjoyed popular usage in the toy market. There is a growing trend to adapt drones to applications relating to civil and commercial use and attempting to fully realize their market value. When assessing potential missions, the drone application typically replaces an existing solution that involves humans (e.g., helicopter inspection of powerlines or rope-based inspection of wind turbines). The drone is anticipated to do jobs considered dirty, dull, or dangerous – at a lower cost and with less risk. Since drones are capable of quickly reaching remote and difficult to access areas and then transmit, e.g., still photographs, thermal imaging, or video footage, they help provide the data for creating an overview of a given situation. Thus, drones serve as an extension of the operator assisting in the effective accomplishment of unique and varied missions. Time, personnel, and money are saved.' 

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