UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), otherwise commonly called drones, have been evolving at a breathtaking speed in the last few years. I attended a UAV show yesterday and was wonderfully awed at the number of applications a drone could accomplish nowadays.
I was initially attracted to drones because of my interest in videography as I had been doing home-made videos of the kids since 2000. My interest was ignited when I started seeing amazing online videos and documentaries which had mind-blowing aerial shots.
On further research, I discovered that the top drone manufacturers are mainly from China and the cost had dropped significantly too. I decided to buy a beginner’s set with an attached camera to learn this new skill and it only cost $60 ! It was relatively easy to set up as you can just hook up your smartphone to the controller via Bluetooth to view the video in real-time.
The UAV show further opened my eyes to the multiple uses of drones. From military applications like the US Predator used to hunt ISIS, to creating 3D imaging of lands for mapping and active agricultural/security management, new uses are constantly being discovered. Amazon is even studying the application of drones for last mile package deliveries.
For personal videography, I have also seen advertisements of palm size drones which can just be launched easily to follow and record you while you are on the move (hovering mode). Imagine making a snowboarding/biking video of yourself without the need to hold a selfie stick!
Leave a Reply