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may immediately think about a smart speaker or home
automation system (Alexa, Echo, Nest, etc.), other
components offer simple yet productive solutions.
Remote control systems enable you to check whether your
doors are locked and your garage door is shut. If not, a
touch of a button does the job. Motion sensors enable
you to detect intruders around and inside the house, of
course. Environmental sensors now monitor for water leaks,
moisture and gas/carbon monoxide and provide alerts. How
about home automation that utilizes robotic technology?
The Roomba vacuum, automatic pool cleaners, and even
Image: Dept. of Transportation window washing systems activated when dirt is recognized
Autonomous vehicles on your exterior windows are just some of the robotic devices
in the modern home.
Hobbyists have been building (and crashing) model airplanes
and helicopters for many years. Most of the public does not Precision agriculture utilizes autonomous vehicle control to
realize that the big advancement in remote-control aircraft was increase the precision of planting, spraying and harvesting
the introduction of GNSS technology into the flight system. crops. This increase in efficiency has led to higher yields and
Sure, we all have GNSS receivers in our phones, but now to lower operating costs for the equipment. Another market
be included in our toys? This somewhat simple addition has starting to see more interest is the robotic lawn mowers that
turned unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into a revolutionary functions like the Roomba vacuum. While significantly
tool for several occupations, not just surveyors. More control more expensive than manual mowers, they offer features that
and stability of the UAV means expanded uses for emergency can be considered for trade-offs for your time. Depending
personnel, utility providers, parcel delivery and much more. on your location and needs, they can be set on timers to run
Being able to program a specific flight provides the UAV user day or night and return to base when their battery runs low.
with higher accuracy and precision, but it takes away the element Adapting today’s technology to tomorrow’s
of human control. surveying tasks

Another vehicle gaining market share is the unmanned surface Another relevant technology that does not fit into any of
vessel (USV), used for performing hydrographic surveys. Like the topics above is the inertial measurement unit (IMU).
its UAV cousin, the USV is autonomous and is programmed These sensors are now routinely paired with GNSS receivers
to follow a specific route for greater accuracy and precision. in UAVs to help them compensate for pitch and roll.
Because of the shallow draft of a USV, it can be used in many Because of their small form factor, IMUs will increasingly
areas deemed inaccessible by manned vessels. be incorporated into other measurement devices.
An additional aspect of newer technology working with It is also safe to say that more handheld devices and
autonomous vehicles is collision avoidance systems. These smartphones will include lidar scanning capability, as the
systems have been implemented on newer UAVs and continue iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro already do. Application and
to improve, allowing the use in tighter confines and spaces. By software developers are writing code to make use of data
having a radar-based avoidance signal surrounding the entire from these devices, so plan on other hardware makers
UAV, collisions become less likely. following Apple’s lead.

Geofencing is another advancement being implemented into Voice and motion control will continue to be integrated
more UAVs to help keep them from intruding into unauthorized into data collectors and workstations. By minimizing
spaces, by programming into their computer specific geographic physical entries into an input system, computers will begin
areas that are off limits. UAVs are often also programmed to to recognize patterns and automate procedures to increase
return to its takeoff location under certain circumstances. efficiencies. Programmable voice commands during field
Other technological advances data collection will activate various procedures (for instance,
to consider specific roadway cross sections or curb island locations)
and walk the user through a predetermined set of steps.
How much technology do you have The possibilities are endless, but we should prepare to take
in your home and office? Probably advantage of the technology.
Image: State Department more than you realize. While one

26 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 58 • NO 2 / 2022 • MARCH/APRIL