2 August 2019, UAVaid co-founder Daniel Ronen presented a new lecture “How Multi-Role Drones are Enabling an Evolution in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Business Models” to a mixed audience at UNICEF Malawi, in the capital, Lilongwe.

Based on his ‘multi-role drone business model’, Daniel outlined the the core principles of a new business model which allows for greater economic viability of drone operations in remote areas, which subsequently allows for an increased pace of scale-up and improved sustainability. He discussed how the new generation of multi-role drones (of which the Hansard is an example) are allowing an evolution to take place in the business models of drone based applications through a widening of markets and applications.

Daniel Ronen delivered the lecture to a mixed audience on multi-role drones and how they can improve economic sustainability.

Central to the grounding of this theory (and practise) of this new business model is the requirement for the ability to for the UAV to switch roles on demand and in the field. This capability makes for a more flexible asset that is able to serve a greater number and range of markets, when compared to single-purpose drones.

The audience represented a wide range of stakeholders with interests in the adoption of UAV technology in development and humanitarian contexts. These included NGO staff, development experts, regulators, practitioners, implementers, operators and others.

A broad range of applications were discussed, as well as the way that multiple tasks can be combined onto single drone flights. Further outlined was the impact of being able to offer a range of different tasks (multi function) within a single day can can have. Examples discussed in the session included a multi-role day of: a medical delivery in the morning, agriculture mapping after lunch followed by a combined anti-poaching and delivery in the afternoon.

These principles, which the Hansard UAV was in Malawi to prove, are just some of the innovations which UAVaid are developing to bring the benefits of UAV technology to those most in need, in a sustainable and ethical way.

For more information on the use of multi-role drones and how they can improve the asset utilisation and economic viability of drone based services, please contact us.