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| The DJI - Phantom 3 Advanced |
There might not be a more exciting and buzzworthy area of
commercial technological advancement than that of the small Unmanned Aerial
System (UAS) platforms; commonly referred to as “drones”. In the last ten
years, advancement in radio controlled (RC) technology and many of the
inner-working components of commercial drones has seen exponential growth and
development, which has truly opened the door for the general public to assist
in the exploration of the role(s) that small UAS will have in the future of unmanned
flight.
People often forget how far drone technology has come since the
early years of unmanned piloting. It’s hard to believe, but unmanned aerial
systems were first developed in the 1850s! Largely used during wartime
for military reconnaissance, early platforms involved slow moving balloons,
tethered kites, and later, remotely piloted planes.
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| Civil War era Balloon "Intrepid" and Kettering Aerial Torpedo "Bug" |
Thankfully, the desire to push boundaries was not lost due to the
limited capability of these primitive drone examples. The continued
innovation in the design and technology of unmanned piloting has ushered in a
new era of functions and uses – specifically for non-governmental or
non-military applications. Accessibility to more affordable parts and
manufacturing has made commercial drone production economically viable for a
wider range of companies. So you might be wondering, what does all of
this have to do with camp planning and architecture?
Well, even when unmanned piloting was first being developed over
160 years ago, the creators had a particular idea in mind: how can we
provide a perspective that few people have seen before? This might be the
most significant benefit that commercial drones present to the greater public.
As is often the case in large scale architectural planning and design
projects, it is difficult to provide the client (and also the community at
large) with a wide enough perspective of a site that illustrates just how
complex and involved a given project is.
Specifically, as it relates to camp architecture; property size
and accessibility to remote areas on some properties can present unique
challenges – not least of which being difficult terrain
that can make documentation time-consuming, uncomfortable and possibly even dangerous.
So
what are some of the tangible benefits that drones can provide to the camp
architecture market? With the advent of inexpensive and easy-to-fly
commercial drones, tasks such as aerial photography, surveying and mapping, and
videography can be completed with ease...and with a single operator. Other industries such as agriculture, movie and film production, and
professional photography have already begun utilizing drone platforms for
business purposes.
Before commercial drones were really a viable option, the best way
to capture a true bird’s-eye perspective was through the use of small airplanes. However, this type of resource is expensive and
often unreliable due to the higher altitudes and higher speeds with which the
aircraft must operate…not to mention having to hire a trained, professional
pilot to get the job done!
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| Downtown Brevard, NC |
This is not the case with many of the off-the-shelf drone models
available today, as they are easily maneuverable and incorporate an intuitive,
smart-phone interface along with savvy, video-game like controls that most
people can learn quickly. Some of these same drone platforms also come
fitted with the latest GPS technology that can be used to generate a mapped
flight path through the use of “waypoints”. This could be a great tool
for capturing a consistent, repeating bird’s-eye view of larger construction
projects, and for generating time-lapse photography or video segments to
illustrate the before and after conditions of a particular site.
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| Domokur's own Stefan Young making a test flight |
Domokur Architects is always looking to the future, and searching for new and improved ways to enhance the client experience. We are thrilled to announce that we will officially take to the skies with our own commercial drone platform, with services available beginning in the summer of 2016! Stay tuned - and in the meantime, check out this preliminary training video we recently recorded.
