In the previous two articles; we spoke about two new facility management services that are being commercially provided by the new drone technologies part of the concept Drone-as-a-services (DAAS) - drone inspection & drone facade/windows cleaning. This article will discuss the third service that can be also provided in the Middle East as part of the same concept.

Drones, defined as "unmanned aircraft or ships guided by remote control or onboard computers," are becoming more than just high-tech toys. Armed with high-definition cameras and other tools, they are being used in industries from real estate, facility management  to agriculture. For commercial painters, drones are a potentially useful tool that could survey painting sites, protect worker safety, and even perform painting tasks.

Drone painting was founded when painting artists experimented with drones for years. So drone painting as a concept isn't exactly new.  In 2016, the first attempt of the first commercial drone painting was born. A German company that manufactures robotics & drone technology tried  the commercial autonomous facade spraying system for a 10 stories building using drone technologies.  This novel ability opens the door to large markets where construction,  maintenance & facility management industries tasks at height require additional infrastructure. Such tasks include non-destructive infrastructure inspection where a sensor is often required to be in contact with structures, spraying of fluids to clean buildings facades, cleaning of walls and windows, painting and coating of surfaces. These technologies  captured the imagination of a few in the painting industry. As a result, commercial painting drones are now at last getting serious. The concept is now in the last stages to become operational and ready for commercial use by the first quarter of 2023.

The current state of painting drones
The drones currently on the market are used for surveying sites before and after painting to assess paint conditions. These kinds of unmanned surveys can improve worker safety by identifying hazards and reporting on difficult sites before painting begins.

Market segmentation & advantages
While the painting drones are currently in the last testing stage and is still rudimentary in terms of accuracy, they have the potential to apply paint better than human workers. That's because a drone's onboard computer could analyze the exact components of the paint it's using and make calculations to apply it at the right distance and volume.

A major advantage of commercial painting drones is worker safety. If workers can stay on the ground and monitor the drone's performance, rather than using scaffolding and ladders to access hazardous painting sites, they face much less risk in their work. Additionally, drones could be used to apply potentially harmful substances or paint in enclosed spaces that are dangerous to workers. Increased efficiency and reduced costs are another potential benefit of using drones in commercial painting. Setting up scaffolding and other equipment for a painting crew takes time, and that time would be greatly reduced by using drones.

Market effects
The advances of drones in commercial painting might worry professional painters, but experts say workers in the commercial paint industry aren't going to be replaced by drones anytime soon. With the number of complicated factors involved in getting drones to paint reliably (wind issues, power sources, and more), many jobs are still only feasible for skilled humans. It’s likely that drones and human painters will work together in the future, with drones handling large expanses and hard to reach surfaces, and humans filling in edges and corners that require more precision. There will also be jobs created as skilled workers are needed to manage the drones.

The technical concept
The painting drone will come in  two configurations - tethered and untethered. The tethered drone will draw power and coatings from a base station. This will enable longer operating times. The untethered model with carry coatings onboard. It will also operate under its own power. Operating times for the untethered model will be shorter but it will be able to reach greater heights.

Safety has for years been a concern for coating applicators. Operating at heights is dangerous. The health and safety of painting technicians for instance is a top priority here at D&D Coatings. Operating at heights is also expensive. Using drones to apply coatings will be faster, cheaper and above all safer. 

A number of companies have tried using drones for jobs usually carried out by people with varying success. Development is currently progressing well with the umbilically tethered drone according to latest reports. It will fly autonomously to coat specific, pre-programmed areas. The drones ability to fly well is utilized by bespoke software. This effectively turns it into a flying robot. While flying and painting is easy, doing both autonomously is difficult. It takes a lot of programming. The software will ultimately take control of flying and painting simultaneously. A human operator will manage the process safely from the ground. A good quality coating should be applied evenly and efficiently. This ensures customer satisfaction and maintains lower material costs and that is what the drone technology has to offer.

About the author:
Sharif Talib Kateeb has over 19+ years of rich and insightful experience, including over 13 years in the GCC. A proactive and result oriented Professional, with an accomplished track record for Data Center Facilities Management & Digital transformation processes and procedures to facilitate full compliance with international standards. Experience in Telecommunication & Consultancy with focus on technology trends.