InfoComm 2015 was fairly typical. Walking up one aisle and down another, we had the usual mega LED walls, mega 4K monitors, flame-thrower projectors and brightly colored fog banks. But down at the very end of the convention center was something remarkable – a mini-pavilion full of drones, live demonstrations, exhibits, training classes and subject matter experts. Based on what I experienced, we’re on the leading edge of a little revolution.
My original focus with regard to drones was clearly broadcast and commercial production. But after walking through the drone pavilion, my perspective widened way beyond that. Suddenly, a vast array of drone video applications became clear, and the connection is our AV industry’s ability to drive solutions and integrate multiple technologies.
Security, structural and rooftop inspection, power line inspection, precision agriculture, law enforcement, first response, firefighting, search and rescue and transportation are just a few that would lend themselves to this technology — each with a high potential to save customers time, money and lower risks to personnel. Perhaps a control room or a command center might be required to organize, dispatch and monitor footage from a company’s fleet of drones.
So, who has the skill to put this type of system together? Unquestionably, it’s the AV professionals in our industry. A Fortune 500 company won’t go to Best Buy to configure their shining new drone department – they’ll come to us.
—Paul Berliner, from “Video World,” PLSN, Sept. 2015
