Page 24 - RC14-EDGE-Spring Issue-1Z

Spotlight: INNOVATION

The Use of Drones in Commercial
& Corporate Real Estate Operations

T he skies over America are about to get a lot more crowded. and states that “Safety will be our top priority, and our vehicles will be
Drones, known by professionals in the industry as Small built with multiple redundancies and designed to commercial aviation
Unmanned Air Vehicles (SUAVs), are likely to start becoming standards.”2
much more commonplace in everyday life now that the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has ruled in favor of their use Delivering Drugstore Items – San Francisco
for commercial purposes. The ruling makes it blue skies for drone A 24-hour delivery service known as QuiQui is launching its business in
entrepreneurs! San Francisco’s Mission District, delivering drugstore products via drone.
The service will cost just $1 in addition to the price of the items and
Early adoption of Drone technology occurred first in the military, the company is currently inviting participants to join as beta testers. A
where pilotless planes were used to deliver weaponry and surveillance unique delivery system, as the drone hovers 20 feet in the air outside,
capabilities. During the last 6-18 months, drones have progressed from customers will swipe the machine, allowing it to drop the order. It then
secretive military use to potential commercial application with amazing flies away.3
speed. These drones are no longer toys for use by hobbyists nor are they
the multimillion-dollar war machines we see mentioned in the nightly Fighting Pollution – China
news, but a newer, more adaptive version. China has suffered an environmental cost as a result of its massive
economic growth, as most major cities there are grappling with
A quick Google search on Drones or SUAVs will result in hundreds of incessant and worsening air pollution. As the government attempts
thousands of links to stories about how this technology will produce to control smog, they have enlisted technology in the form of drones
a multi-billion dollar industry. From property marketing and package to search for illegal polluters. Drones are now surveying the areas
delivery to fighting pollution, drone use is on the rise, even if still under surrounding Beijing and the neighboring provinces of Hebei and Shanxi
the radar. Following are a few interesting examples of uses that may for sources of air pollution. Each drone covers 70 square kilometers
someday soon be mainstream applications. (about 30 square miles) in each flight, and they have already led to over
200 actions against polluters. China is also experimenting with the use of
Residential Real Estate Marketing – The New York Times drones to clear smog; a parachute-winged drone has been used in tests
That buzzing sound in your for-sale property is not the chatter of excited to spray a catalyst to dissipate smog during air pollution emergencies.4
buyers; it is a helicopter drone whizzing over your dining table to film
the places other real estate agents do not get to. Real estate companies
are filming high end properties with drones offering high definition
footage, then sending it to the company’s listings website. Contractors
provide the customized, battery driven machines which film both flyover
and interior footage. The drones are currently operated only over private
suburban properties; the FAA says drones cannot be flown outdoors for
commercial purposes.1

Delivering Products – Amazon
Amazon is working on a new delivery system known as Prime Air to
deliver packages into customers’ hands in 30 minutes or less using
unmanned aerial
vehicles. The company
is currently waiting
for the necessary FAA
rules and regulations
to catch up to drone
technology. Amazon
hopes to have this
commercial service up
and running by 2015,

22 Realcomm