Tech-savvy Singapore plans to launch a swarm of drones for tasks including parcel delivery, constructing inspections and security, but security and privacy concerns mean the initiative could cause turmoil.
Companies have already began testing devices for industrial use, mainly in an area of greater than 200 hectares (500 acres) of skyscrapers and shopping malls specifically designated by the federal government for testing.
t is a component of the rich city’s push for technological innovation, in addition to an attempt to deal with labor shortages in a rustic of just 5.6 million people who relies on foreign migrant employees for a lot of low-wage sectors.
The industrial use of unmanned aircraft is already gaining popularity around the globe, in areas as diverse as crop spraying and insurance claims investigation, but Singapore’s push represents a very ambitious step into the technology.
Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority has backed the project, saying it recognizes the potential of drones “to rework mobility and logistics” and is working with industry players to attempt to shape regulations for the sector.
During recent tests, the drone flew within the air, taking photos of the facade of a skyscraper. These were tests of a system through which tedious human inspections of the ever present skyscrapers in town were replaced by automatic inspections.
“The current building inspection process is extremely slow, expensive, tedious, and prone to accidents, fatigue and human error,” said Shawn Koo, chief technology officer of H3 Zoom, a unit of H3 Dynamics that’s behind the testing.
Such inspections are typically carried out by employees from South or Southeast Asia who hang precariously outside buildings on platforms suspended by ropes.
Robotic guards
Local company ST Aerospace can be testing drones as robotic guards.
In the command center, screens show a simulated security breach within the fence. A black drone is used to chase the intruder while transmitting live images that direct security officers towards him for arrest.
Tests were also carried out on the opportunity of delivering parcels using drones, and the hospital operator plans to make use of these devices to move blood samples and preparations between hospitals and the central laboratory.
Source : AFP
