Drones are likely to experience similar growth to that predicted of autonomous cars in the near future as urban airspace around the world becomes filled with unmanned aircraft systems.
Aviation experts speaking at the UAS Forum in Dubai said managing drone traffic will become a crucial aspect of city planning as the use of autonomous aircraft becomes more common.
As the autonomous vehicle industry promises to make roads safer, drone developers claim traffic will be taken off the roads and into the skies to help ease congestion.
Market analysts Tractica are predicting consumer shipments of drones to increase globally to 70 million by 2021, when revenue in the industry is expected to reach US$5 billion.
More commercial companies are expected to utilise drone delivery services in future, particularly in emerging smart cities like Dubai and Singapore.
The air traffic management research institute at Nanyang Technology University, Singapore is focusing on how to develop a safe and reliable system suitable for use in an urban airspace. More info
By Nick Webster thenational.ae
