[01:27.57]Now I'm sure most of you will be familiar with the concept of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs for short, to give them their technical name.
[01:40.28]If you are lucky enough, you may even own one! In fact they are becoming so popular amongst gadget lovers that the sales of consumer drones were up by 24% In 2014.
[01:55.68]It is certainly a technology that is catching on fast and seems to have captured the public's imagination.
[02:02.87]People of all ages are seemingly fascinated by UAVs whether the interest is professional or purely recreational. In fact, so far most members of the public tend to view UAVs as no more than a very sophisticated and expensive toy.
[02:22.16]As confirmation of this, Selfridges, the well-known London department store, has described them as 'the ultimate toy that spans the generations'.
[02:31.74]However, in this lecture, I would like to talk about the more serious side to UAVs and how they may revolutionise the world of business as well as employment.
[02:44.23]With regard to the job sector, analysts predict that the market for drones could be worth billions. In the US alone, drones could create up to 70,000 jobs In this booming new industry.
[02:59.39]This would definitely be a boost to employment in a time where so many industries are replacing their workers with machines.
[03:07.31]The consumer end of the market, though, is a mere drop in the ocean.
[03:12.07]The potential for drones to revolutionise the way we do business is where the real opportunity lies and Britain has the potential to become the world leader.
[03:24.21]Probably the most novel and ground-breaking use for UAVs is as an E-commerce delivery service. However, the idea has yet to get off the ground - literally!
[03:36.09]In principal, the idea is an excellent one. Consumers order Items from an Internet site and the order is dispatched and delivered to your door by an unmanned drone within minutes.
[03:51.35]The mall order giant, Amazon, first conceived of drones as a delivery service in the US, but plans stalled leading many to question if the whole proposition was merely a marketing stunt.
[04:05.08]More likely, though, the proposed drone delivery service conflicted with aviation rules as laid down by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
[04:14.64]The biggest problem In the US is that they've invested $5 billion in a new traffic control system but it was years before drones were on the radar.
[04:27.37]Therefore, aviation laws are not compatible with or accommodate for UAVs.
[04:34.62]The UK, however, has much more relaxed aviation laws.
[04:39.58]Drones are permitted as long as they do not fly in 'crowded areas' as defined by the Civil Aviation Authority.
[04:47.58]It, therefore, makes the UK a very attractive country to develop the E-commerce delivery system in.
[04:55.03]Whilst the UK Is trying to set up and run a drone-based delivery service, Britain is already a leader In the field of drone-based aerial photography. If you think about it, the potential for such photography Is huge.
[05:11.85]Not only does It allow you to take photos that could only previously be taken from an aircraft or even hot air balloon but drones can get much closer to their subject.
[05:23.33]This is obviously a great advantage if taking photos of dangerous wildlife on safari.
[05:29.94]For the moment, drone-based aerial photography is especially popular for weddings.
[05:36.21]It's a bit of one-upmanship for the bride and groom really. I think most people are bored with the usual cliche settings of a church with a countryside backdrop.
[05:47.37]Well, so far I've talked about all the positive aspects of UAVs.
[05:51.97]But we shouldn't forget that there have also been some problems experienced by those using this technology.
[05:59.76]Many of the problems have arisen because of a handful of hobbyists who are giving the industry a bad name.
[06:06.80]The issue mainly Is with cheap drones flown by people without licences. Because in the UK, unlike the US, a driver's licence is officially required to fly a UAV.
[06:21.22]When someone flies a drone outside a controlled area, like a park, you're heading for trouble.
[06:27.94]Only recently an accident caused by a drone made headlines.
[06:31.57]A photographer was injured In TGI Fridays when a stunt using a drone spectacularly backfired.
[06:40.23]That might be bad enough but an even more serious incident occurred recently when a drone had a near-miss with an Airbus A320 as it began its descent into Heathrow airport.
[06:53.38]However, that said, with stricter regulations in place, Britain could soon see E-commerce delivery systems 24 hours a day and may become a leading centre for imagery shot by drones.
[07:07.24]It certainly is a burgeoning Industry where, if you pardon the pun, the sky's the limit!
