The first recorded concept of drones go way back to 1849, when Austria attacked Venice with over 200 unmanned balloons stuffed with explosives! [1]. While drones were first developed for military and warfare purposes, today its range of applications have increased exponentially; from drone racing to photography and videography, aiding in search and rescue operations, and even monitoring climate change. In fact, the Singapore Government is on track to have electric drone taxi services by 2023! [2].
Because of its portability, stability, and ability to produce high resolution images, it is also often used in research or for scientific surveys. Here at Hydrobiology Singapore, drones are often used during fieldwork, mostly to capture changes in an environment. With a built-in high spatial resolution camera and video capabilities, drones make large-scale surveys easier, as they help us access areas that are difficult to get to on foot.
We have high hopes that drone technology will continue improving – who knows, perhaps one day we will be able to swap out remote controllers for voice activation!
If you are around the area, don’t be shy to pop in for a short chat about drones with us, and we’d be happy to share more!
We are located at:
84 Toh Guan Road East
#04-08 Singapore Water Exchange
608501
Follow us on LinkedIN and on Facebook to find out more about us!
(Photo: by Hydrobiology Singapore)
References:
[1] https://interestingengineering.com/a-brief-history-of-drones-the-remote-controlled-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-uavs
[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-09/first-electric-air-taxis-set-to-fly-in-singapore-by-2023
