No Humans? No Problem for Data Interpreting
Having a UAS fly overhead and survey a field is fine, says Lucas Van Oostrum of Delft Aerial Robotics, but it still takes a human to interpret the data and carry out remedial actions. He envisions, however, a time in the not too distant future when the UAS will be part of a system — akin to a cellular telephone network — that would fulfill all steps of a given task autonomously. Such “drone boxes” are only a few years away from reality, Van Oostrum says.
“We’re working hard to create the [drone boxes], but it’s about more. It’s about creating an autonomous drone network. You’d put low-cost boxes anywhere, and create a coverage map for your drones,” he says.
