REGINA – Drones are often thought to go hand in hand with the military, but over the last few years the context has changed as they become more accessible.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been instrumental throughout history as surveillance and combat tools, but what started out as military hardware has transformed dramatically and is catching attention from businesses and everyday people.
The increased demand has pushed the price down, so getting your hands on one for work or recreation isn’t as far out of reach as it was a few years ago.
Dr. Paranjape is leading research at the University of Regina with a focus on UAV sensors and controls.
“There’s so much opportunity. Almost the issue is people are afraid of the technology,” he said while explaining the technologies potential.
He and his team of grad students are working to develop software that will use computer vision to operate a drone, without being controlled by humans.
“We are in the forefront of technology. I don’t know a single lab in Canada that is doing what we’re doing,” he added.
Drones have also been an important tool for keeping an eye on crime.
Saskatchewan RCMP’s UAV program took flight in 2010 giving officers a view they’d otherwise be blind to.
The $100, 000 system is equipped with an infrared camera and controlled by a touch screen tablet.
Cpl. Eldon Hoffman is the coordinator of the UAV program and explained the unit was originally used to reconstruct collision scenes, which cuts down manual labour substantially.
He explained that as the technology developed, so too did the variety of tactical uses the RCMP could use the drone for.
“We could use something like this to monitor an ongoing situation like an armed and barricaded standoff which would be ideal for our commanders to have a bird’s eye view of the scene as it unfolds.”
The unit has also been used in some high profile cases.
Cpl. Hoffman was brought in to operate a drone during the investigation of the shooting deaths of RCMP officers in Moncton, New Brunswick in June.
Also, a UAV’s infrared camera helped locate a missing man in Saskatchewan back in May, 2013.
The success story landed that drone on display in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
“It was the first time someone used a UAV to save somebody’s life,” Hoffman added.
SaskPower also recently unveiled its $23, 000 unit which it said is an efficient alternative to what once was a timely and costly job involving a helicopter.
“With the quadcopter we can take overhead pictures of switches and bus work, and contexts and see if stuff is misaligned or see if stuff is burning up,” explained power line technician Chad Schneider.
When SaskPower unveiled its drone program to the public in October, officials were under the impression they didn’t need a certificate to fly the device because the unit was only flying over their property.
However, Transport Canada’s regulations state that if you are using a drone for anything work related you need permission to do so.
SaskPower is now working to comply with all the regulations, but it does go to show the need for more awareness and rules surrounding UAVs in Canada.
Part two of ‘Rise of the Drones’ airs Thursday and will take a closer look at the UAV regulations in Canada, and why many experts say the rules aren’t keeping pace with the growing industry.
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