Drone Analyst is a drone research and consulting firm that is making a come-back with their new research of the top three trends in the drone industry in 2020. Under the new leadership of David Benowitz, as Head of Research, with his extensive and capable leadership in DJI (2016 to 2020), there is great anticipation that his leadership with Drone Analyst will be a great success. Benowitz follows in the footsteps of Colin Snow, founder of DroneAnalyst and respected drone industry leader, who paved the way for Snow upon retiring.
A DroneAnalyst press release explained:
“With Benowitz now at the helm of DroneAnalyst’s research program, the industry can expect the launch of its 2020 Annual Market Survey in September, and the continued expansion of its research product and advisory services in the coming years.
Since its founding in 2016, DroneAnalyst has always emphasized a realistic, fact-based approach to its research. DroneAnalyst will continue this focus, whether it be through its annual market sector report, advisory services or social media presence.”*
With his blog post, Benowitz has identified the following top three drone industry trends of 2020:
- Increased Hardware Competition Marks a Shift in the Market. Since the commercial industry took off, DJI has dominated the drone market. In fact, the recreational industry paved the way for the commercial users. According to DroneAnalyst, a large number of new manufacturers, and new commercial offerings, are now contributing significantly to the competition. As a result, software companies, such as Auterion, are coming up with even more solutions for the commercial drone industry.
- The Move Towards Dual-Use Because of Rising Global Tensions. According to Benowitz, the trade war between the U.S. and China can have a significant impact on the drone industry. Although DJI never attempted to market to the U.S. military because their products were of good quality as well as inexpensive, many of the products were competing for several military operations. Later, lawmakers began to question using federal funds when buying drones manufactured in China since they had not been designed for the level of security typically used by the U.S. military. Many new manufacturers are now marketing dual-use commercial drones, which are useful for both military and commercial use, such as Skydio’s X2 series and Parrot’s ANAFI U.S. model.
- Shifting Regulations and Improving Autonomy. The “drone-in-the-box” solution is already everywhere. This means that autonomous drones are becoming a reality within the near future. The question is, “What regulations are needed to make this a reality?” Benowitz makes the point that even if the technology already exists, removing Identification and unmanned traffic management (UTM) are crucial to the implementation of autonomous solutions on a wide basis.
Future
Because the “drone-in-the-box” solution became a part of the drone market so quickly, it is reasonable to anticipate autonomous drones coming on the scene soon. Although this will require new regulations, especially considering what an amazing advancement in technology that would be, such regulations will join previous regulations when there has been significant progress in drone technology.
What an exciting time this is when such advancement of drone technology is right around the corner!
