Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), also known as drones, are reinventing businesses as well as creating new ones. Since 2016, the industrial applications of commercial autonomous drones have dramatically increased. The adoption of drone technology has considerably increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drones have provided assistance in the healthcare sector for lab sample pickup and delivery as well as transportation and delivery of medical supplies, reducing transportation turnaround and curling the exposure to infection.

Agriculture is a both major industry and the foundation of the economy. Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques are widely used to solve a variety of problems and to optimize the production and operation processes in the fields of agriculture, food, and bio-system engineering. The use of artificial intelligence in the agriculture supply chain is becoming more and more important while involving Artificial Intelligence ML algorithms. The main four clusters are preproduction, production, processing, and distribution. In fact, in the preproduction, ML technologies are used, especially for the predictions of given features.

Israeli startup Airwayz Drones Ltd., set up by veterans of the Israeli airforce, has developed software that knows how to safely steer hundreds of drones in the same airspace, orchestrating them in the sky autonomously, just as a traditional human-manned air traffic control station would. The technology of the Israeli company Airwayz managed some 20 drones from five companies simultaneously on Wednesday in the sky over an unpopulated area of the northern coastal city of Hadera. It was the first stage of a two-year initiative that is being touted by the Israel Innovation Authority and its partners in the event as one of the largest drone experiments ever conducted in the world. "This is one of the most progressive experiments in the world, in which drones from many companies are flying in a open and not controlled area," said Daniella Partem, head of the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the Israel Innovation Authority, which is in charge of fostering the nation's tech ecosystem. Get The Start-Up Israel's Daily Start-Up by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up The purpose of the large-scale government-backed experiment is to understand what our skies will look like in the future, as hundreds and thousands of drones pepper our firmament to meet various needs -- online deliveries, photography, security, agriculture and more.

Sony wants a bigger piece of the drone market. Today, the Japanese giant unveiled a project called Airpeak, which will "support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible," according to a cryptic press release. That makes it sound like Sony wants to take on consumer-focused drone makers such as DJI, Parrot and Skydio. Which makes a lot of sense, given Sony's expertise in the compact and full-frame mirrorless camera markets. If you're a vlogger or independent filmmaker that already uses Sony gear, you might be tempted by a drone with similar technology.

Momentum is building in the drone industry according to latest data, drone industry insight (DII) has revealed. Venture capitalists are putting significant funding into the segment as world leverage on technologies and related infrastructure. According to the its 2019 report, DII stated that the global market will grow from $14 billion in 2018 to over $43 billion in 2024 at annual average growth rate of 20.5%. Specifically, the drone market which has been evolving, has become clearer as VC funding is focused mainly on drone delivery, security, and mining. This was a year on year growth of 67% with venture capitalist funding standing at $930 million.

The United States is home to the largest drone market in the world and has been for the past few years. The US will remain in the lead in the forthcoming years, but the Chinese drone market is slowly closing that gap. While in 2024 the US will still be the largest drone market in the world, the Chinese drone market will be catching up as it will grow faster. Even though the US market won't grow quite as quickly as some others (China, and India), it will still be one of the fastest growing drone markets in the world. By 2024 it is expected to be almost three times the size it was in 2018.

The energy sector was the largest industry in 2018 and will continue to be so in 2024. However, the Transportation & Warehousing industry will continue to be the fastest growing. This is partly because, as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), this vertical includes industries providing transportation of passengers (although air taxis won't sell for some time still) and cargo, warehousing and storage for goods, and support activities related to modes of transportation like inspection and maintenance of infrastructure. While agriculture and construction currently follow energy as the top industries in the drone market, the growth of the transport sector will mean that in 2024 transport will be the 2nd largest industry on the market.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, are growing at a rapid rate for both consumer and professional markets. Market research firm IHS Markit forecasts the professional drone market will manage a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 77.1% through 2020 driven by industries such as agriculture, energy and construction using the technology for surveying, mapping, planning and more. Meanwhile, the consumer drone market will maintain a CAGR of 22.1% through 2020 with companies such as DJI, Parrot and 3D Robotics driving the market with a wide range of devices for photography, recreational use and racing. While these markets will be the main drivers for the next few years, one industry that isn't discussed often as a main driver is the insurance market. However, according to professional services company PwC, the addressable market of drone powered solutions in the insurance industry is valued at $6.8 billion.

Drones have become a mainstream product for businesses and consumers over the past five years, as functionality has expanded and pricing has dropped below $999. Companies like DJI, Yuneec, and Parrot have achieved significant market growth in the space, with affordable, relatively easy-to-use drones capable of capturing high-resolution (even 4K-class) content that would have previously required highly specialized equipment. Today I wanted to take a look at Redwood City-based startup Skydio's new R1 drone--a product that I believe has the potential to disrupt the crowded $5 billion drone market. Positioned essentially as a "self-driving camera," the R1 is embedded with 13 cameras. While this makes the R1 the definitive "follow me" drone, is it worth forking over the $2,499 asking price?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than just robots. It's a set of tools and programs that makes software smarter in such a way that an outside observer thinks the output is generated by a human. We believe AI will be a significant driver in automation, having far-reaching implications in many industries, ranging from e-commerce to agriculture.