Drone Technology: Opportunities in The Third Dimension of Robotics

`Drones have become a part of our everyday language and airspace. As manufacturers, vendors, and

conglomerates continue investing in the technology, it is geared to revolutionize the global economy.

The dependency of the emerging drone industry on the growing, supporting ecosystem of its core drone technologies (hardware and software) and its complete value chain (from manufacturers and vendors, to resellers and value-added service providers).

Emerging Drone Industry Ecosystem 

Investment opportunities in the growing drone industry can be identified by understanding the ecosystem that will sustain the industry.

 

Primary stakeholders include:

Manufacturers and assemblers — These design, prototype, and produce drones and the payloads that

they can carry. Some have established complete, independent entire production lines, while others only

assemble the components supplied by other niche-based component manufacturers.

Technology suppliers — These include complete software and hardware solutions for allowing the

drones to perform certain tasks and functions. Examples include flight control operating systems,

mapping new and unknown area/environments, real-time analytics, among others.

Component suppliers — These supply the manufacturers and assemblers with the various components

needed to construct/assemble the drones. Components include electronics, sensors, engines, batteries,

remote controls, etc.