Drones Will Soon Energize Dubai's Food Industry
In the 1990s, the internet took the world by storm and vitalized the e-commerce industry. A couple of decades later, drones are set to elevate the food industry. Interest in Drone technology is surging in UAE, and Dubai is pioneering it, so how are drones used in the Dubai food industry?
Can Drones Deliver Food?
One day dozens of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will be hovering over the heads of Dubai residents with ordered food and other goods attached to them. Drones will swoop in to deliver your orders instead of delivery workers knocking on your doors; that day is not far off.
Industry experts think that the Dubai Program to Enable Drone Transportation will catalyze the commercial use of drones in food and product delivery services in the UAE. The Crown Prince of Dubai kickstarted this initiative, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to explore drone technology and its applicability in various sectors such as food, security, health, and shipping.
A specified pilot area will be created in Dubai Silicon Oasis. The UAE will even allow global entities to develop and test new drone tech, speeding up the process, improving lives, and helping reach the nation’s economic goals.
Global Giants such as Amazon will be launching drone delivery very soon, as amazon Prime Air is launching very soon in Lockeford, which will act as a testing ground for this initiative. Amazon drones will be active all around the city. The presence of such a giant will revive the town as the residents will have access to the world’s latest technology, creating attractions and even more job openings.
Another global shipping giant is DHL, which is already using its drones for specific regions in china.
Using drones to deliver food will shorten the waiting period, and you’ll get your food sooner. Not only that, the risk of delivery driver accidents will decrease drastically as well.
How Can Drones Elevate the Dubai Food Industry?
The production line is massive, and it has various moving parts. Temperature altering systems such as heating and cooling, storage silos, pipes, and machinery are essential. All of these crucial processes can be subject to leaks.
Manual monitoring of each nook and cranny of equipment is almost impossible. Implementing drones can optimize the process and eliminate risks for employees. Geared with a high-resolution camera, drones can detect leaks and breaks, notify workers who will respond accordingly, and tend to the issue.
Besides eliminating hazardous tasks and keeping employees safe, drones also are effective cleaners. Some Drones cameras have Ultraviolet lights. This type of lighting points out dirty surfaces and hard-to-notice bacteria. Sanitation is a make-it-or-break-it aspect of the food industry, and drones help maintain the highest standards.
Drones can also be used in the agriculture process. The cameras can create highly detailed maps of the land, which will give land owners a deeper understanding of the geography, allowing for better planning by agricultural engineers.
The drones can optimize the fertilizing process as well. Simply hovering above the crops and spraying the chemicals save a lot of time and make the pest elimination process even more thorough. Drones can detect bugs and pests more effectively and even tend to them by spraying pest-eliminating solutions.
All this will lead to better produce, higher quality food, and fresher ingredients. Drones can vitalize two sectors by bridging utility in between them.
An Alternative Made More Relevant After the Pandemic
After the COVID-19 pandemic door-to-door, the delivery has seen an immense increase in its demand. This sector is set to be the primary user of drones since it is effective and meets the new demand load. Various companies in the world felt the need for an automated alternative that would decrease the costs and speed up the work, and the UAE is no different.
The warehousing process can also be made simpler by adding drones to the mix, increasing efficiency, and adding valuable time that is money.
Another critical appeal is sustainability. With proper maintenance, drones can last for a long time. The battery-based power supply used by drones can reduce fuel costs and be a greener alternative that will help achieve a greener tomorrow, especially since you can also better manage plastic usage.
Practical Examples of Drone Usage in Dubai, Challenges that Might Arise
Dubai has used drones for sterilizationin public areas during the pandemic and to be notified of covid protocol violators. Monitoring desert camps was also another way drones proved handy, and finally, the police used drones to track down fugitives using face recognition software.
The challenges that might face Dubai and the UAE boil down to three main challenges:
- Regulations
- Weather
- Infrastructure
The UAE currently has one of the most innovative drone regulations globally. Introducing drones to a vast nation is a learning process, and Dubai is leading the way.Drones require a significant commitment infrastructure-wise, landing spots, and flight routes. The weather is an uncontrollable factor, the heat might pose an issue, but the UAE is blessed with clear skies most of the time, which will be a plus when operating flights.
The world is embracing drones, and the UAE is leading the Arab nation toward this change. Every day we take a step closer to the day drones will simply roam the sky and help us with our daily lives. No journey is without challenges, but the time for change and acceptance is now.