Whether you see drones as a technological innovation or a public nuisance, one thing is for certain – drones aren’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon. And while it’s true that the debate linking these airborne robots with our shrinking civil liberties rages on, there’s no denying that drones have the potential to be used for the betterment of all mankind. In fact, a British company has already started testing how we can use drones in a way that will hopefully help to negate humanity’s impact on the environment. At this very moment, drones are helping to re-seed areas affected by deforestation at the hands of the logging industry.
Before being tasked with reversing our heavy footprint, drones have already made an impression on many sectors; already they’re being used to limit inefficiencies in industries like the distribution of consumer goods. One need only examine Amazon’s business model to see the impact drones have had on the expediting the shipment of customer orders – essentially proving what many of us know already. Autonomous robots can pick and ship products at a rate that simply cannot be matched by their flesh and blood counterparts.
Now the naysayer may claim (in very broad strokes) that technology – in addition to threatening the livelihood of millions across the globe – has ever been the bane of the environmental preservation movement. That technology, either directly or indirectly, has been a major player in contributing to things like elevated carbon dioxide gases, which as we’re painfully aware, is responsible for global warming.
That’s why when we see technology being used to repair some of the ecological damage we’ve inflicted upon the earth, we can’t help but feel that maybe a little of our faith in humanity – and by extension technology – is being restored.
Drones Taking Flight Will Help Us All Breathe Easier
Traditionally, tree planting has always been an arduous and time-consuming endeavor. That aside, tree planting in remote locations can also be extremely costly and dangerous for the planters themselves. But even if you could live with all of that, there’s one additional problem associated with hand planting trees; in spite of the industry’s best efforts, it has simply been impossible to plant as many trees as there are being cut down in a given years.
This drone project is looking to change that. Specially designed drones are equipped with CO2 canisters and seed pods which are enclosed in a biodegradable shell allowing them to be delivered safely and efficiently to a predetermined area. This technology would conceivably allow the logging industry to bridge the gap between the number of trees harvested each year and the number of new saplings that are taking their place. Maintaining their supply is a nice goal to be sure, but an increase in the number of trees being planted each year means that more carbon can be filtered out of our air, potentially lowering global carbon levels.
So What Does All This Mean?
Well, for one thing projects like this one indicates that tech industry will be brimming with new jobs. Earlier in this article we alluded to the fact that many people see technology, see robots as a catalyst to never before seen unemployment rates. It’s important to realize however that even though technology has historically meant there were fewer jobs in industry X, it generally meant the new jobs would be created in industry Y.
Tree planting by drone is a relatively new idea and involves a process that will need continuous refinement. Further, using drones to seed vast swatches of land will not only employ a legion of drone operators and technicians, it will also serve as a proof of concept for other robotic driven initiatives.
That being said, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest the employment market could soon see a surge in demand for PLC programmers, robotics technicians, engineers, designers, and many other tech-related professions. With that in mind, it’s a little difficult to lament the fact that as a result, tree planters will cease to exist. Actually, that’s not quite accurate. Tree planters – like the act of tree planting – will continue to evolve; only now they have a chance to play a significant role in maintaining this renewable resource.
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