The Covid-19 pandemic has threatened to change the way we have lived so far. With over seven lakh deaths worldwide, the virus has made us rethink how governments, organisations and people can live and work with minimum physical contact. In all this, drones can prove to be a game-changer. But they also come with security threats and other hazards.
The Daily Guardian talks to Sai Pattabiram, MD and founder, Sree Sai Aerotech Innovations (SSAI), on the issue and how drones “can be used for last-mile logistics and delivery.” Excerpts:
Q. Tell us about your company and its core competencies.
A. SSAI is recognised to be among the top Deep Tech AI companies in India. Our core competencies lie in design to delivery of products centred on geo location (GPS) Electronic Control and Communication in the area of mobility and drones by applying our globally proprietary AI technology.
Q. What is the future of the drone industry in India?
A. Applications of drones hold a significant potential across various industries in India including infrastructure, agriculture and GIS. The government regulations are an obstacle that will be resolved sooner rather than later and the industry will see exponential growth thereon.
Q. Security agencies had reservations on the full implementation of operation of drones due to the security risk that they would create. Hence, the implementation has been staggered. What are your views on this?
A. The regulations are well formulated and at par or even better than international regulations in theory. But one of the biggest factors about drone regulation is the huge number of drones, which would come for registration if the regulatory platform (digital sky) comes into full force. From our interaction with various security agencies like CISF, etc, we have come to understand that they are not confident that the current platform (digital sky beta version) is ready to efficiently and accurately on board, monitor and control the large population of drones which would register onto the platform.
Q. According to reports, drones are quickly becoming a cyber security nightmare. Do you agree?
A. Every path-defining technology has helpful and positive uses as well as harmful and negative uses, like for example nuclear fission is a dual-use tech: Positive impact is in the form of near infinite energy for power generation; negative impact is in the form of Mutually Assured Destruction. Similarly, drones also are a dualuse technology. I believe with the correct regulatory framework and its subsequent enforcement, a large percentage of these threats can be thwarted.
Q. Drones have been recognised for their ability to deliver things like medical and food supplies, improve traffic congestion and aid the military in surveillance. Yet, the government is still concerned about the risks they could pose to safety, security and privacy.
A. Drones have their largest application in the logistics industry. Yes, they can be used for last-mile logistics and delivery but then again there need to be systems like High Accuracy Location Awareness systems, Telematic platforms and monitoring systems to ensure that delivery drones don’t cause undue havoc and adversely affect scenarios.