A customized
Avular drone being tested in Eindhoven , the
Netherlands .
“ DRONES ARE A STRATEGIC AND
SUPERFAST-
GROWING SPACE , SO COMPANIES ARE TRYING TO CARVE OUT THEIR OWN COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE .”
— David Woodlock , application development and design manager , HP
In September , Florida ’ s Manatee County became the first local government in the United States to lease a drone from Archer . The company also announced a partnership in December with
RapidDeploy , a software platform used by more than 500 public-safety agencies and 911 call centers .
These examples represent just a sliver of the grander vision for drones to tap into their abilities to help in all sectors , from aiding first responders with
search-and-rescue efforts , to repairing — and even constructing — temporary emergency shelters by
printing 3D materials on the fly , to delivering all types of goods and services from Walmart and Amazon ’ s
airborne warehouses .
“ As we move forward in the next two to five years , unmanned aerial systems are going to do a lot of good ,” predicts Folkes . “ I think things are looking up .”
PHOTOGRAPH BY
HP / INNOVATION / SPRING 2021 66