Are Drones Killing Your Employment Opportunities?

Once upon a time, the word ‘drone’ meaning an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was only synonymous to remote-controlled aircrafts that were used in war expeditions. To some, it was synonymous to a super-advanced flying machine whose prowess was confined to a particular task it was designed for –  like dropping a missile, capturing aerial shots of a deep valley or just disarming a bomb.

Gradually, we saw them evolve into a softer breed, operated with a handheld remote – joystick of sorts, but privately owned. be controlled with a handheld remote – a joystick of sorts. And then there toys that imitated this. Today, drone. They are nothing short of helper bots. From camera-equipped drones used in photography to commercial drones for pizza delivery, and of course, for humanitarian causes like ‘search and rescue missions’ to map images and help rescue teams – drones are simplifying lives everywhere.

They are simple, ubiquitously in demand and have nearly universal applications.  As depicted in the The Terminator (1984) movie, drones are taking over humans. And in this case, their menial jobs. Drones are replacing humans in areas that were only frequented by humans. Imagine 10 years back in time, pizzas could fall from the sky, and why not a Russian restaurant has already been using Drones for Pizza delivery for over two years now.

E-commerce kingpin Amazon has announced using drones for door delivery, in the process, possibly and gradually replacing humans as drones. And why not, a single drone can tirelessly deliver tens of orders within no time, and it doesn’t demand remuneration (let alone high performance bonuses), fuel allowance or a week-off. All it needs is a little battery juice to keep buzzing and delivering smiles.

The National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems at the University of Leeds is already making and testing robots that can not only replace humans in logistics and delivery but also in precision repair and maintenance.

This new breed of drones can replace humans in repair tasks like street light repair and maintenance, detecting fault with devices, inspecting, diagnosing and repair potholes on the roads, and even perform monitoring and metering tasks of pipes.

According to Rob Richardson, director of the National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems at the university, “Detecting faults and weaknesses early and then quickly performing smart repairs is the key.

So drones have outgrown their legacy. They are no more killer machines flying in war zones. They are bots that are replacing (or will soon replace) humans in almost every area involving physical activity, from training and instructing to construction, photography, maintenance, product deliveries, manufacturing business and much more.

Someone out there has used the high-speed air blows generated by drone blades to clean up the fallen leaves in the lawn, apparently, delegating a chore exercised by a human (maids, in many cases) to a machine.

With the rise in the number of drones, tasks that were once done by humans are ‘machine-possible’, and so their job opportunities in these areas are at the potential risk of peril. Perhaps, these humans could take more important roles then – roles that involve digging ideas, brainstorming solutions for problems like global warming, rising sea levels, deforestation and more importantly strengthening diplomatic relations, finding solutions to problems affecting world peace and making the world a better place.

The Consumer Electronics Association believes 2015 to be “a defining year of drones”. Well, it wouldn’t be too much to say it would also be a defining year for the humans.