Advancements in drone technology have paved the way for the unmanned mini helicopters, once thought of as largely for entertainment, to be integrated into various industries.

From contributing to contactless medicine delivery — particularly useful during the coronavirus outbreak — to preventing poachers, drones have helped improve lives.

Drones are also making their mark in the vehicle technology world.

Finding Cars Ready for Dispatch

In Germany, custom autonomous drones are helping CES exhibitor Audi identify cars that are ready to be dispatched. Using GPS and RFID technology, the drones fly over all the vehicles on site, marking the location of each car.

As soon as the drone lands, data is transferred automatically to a database, where results are displayed on a digital map for employees to more efficiently locate the cars ready for dispatch based on a unique identification number.

The drone also receives weather data before each flight and only operates within safe parameters.

Navigating for Self-Driving Vehicles

Drones paired with self-driving vehicles can provide an extra set of eyes and more data to the driverless car, preventing potential accidents.

Though self-driving technologies include many safety features, obstacles such as road-blocking accidents can disrupt the vehicle’s scheduled path. As an added layer of protection for both a passenger within the self-driving vehicle as well as pedestrians and other cars on the road, a drone hitched to the vehicle can be deployed to identify the best alternative route that avoids both the obstacle in question and other potential problems. By providing a bird’s-eye view, the drone is able to help the autonomous navigation system take into account multiple factors.

Data from the drone could then also be passed between self-driving systems to other cars to help adapt their routes as well.

Decreasing Traffic Congestion

Passenger drones have made their debut at CES for the past few years. When they become available for commercial use, air taxis may be the solution to traffic delays and gridlock.

Passenger drones could cut commute times while keeping emissions low, solving various problems as urbanization continues. From transferring goods to moving people, passenger drones could decrease the number of cars and larger delivery trucks on the roads and also reduce travel time.

Drones are set to transform and improve the vehicle technology industry, making our lives easier and safer in a new era of mobility.