A new perspective from the sky: travelling through drones

Just like computers and telephones, drones have evolved into an everyday piece of technology that we often forget is there. In this talk Khris will show you how drone technology is evolving, discuss some of the most interesting current and future applications for the technology and how, without you knowing, it has already started to make a difference to your everyday life.

Extreme environments come in a number of forms. Examples like deserts, volcanoes and the deep oceans all spring quickly to mind. However, there are small regions of the world that present hazards caused by human activity that we cannot see, taste, hear or smell; these are radiologically contaminated areas. For 6 years, I have been using drones to measure radiation hazard and radioactive mineral content within Chernobyl and Fukushima. Drones and other robotics are particularly effective at this type of work as they allow us to collect data in hard to reach locations without endangering humans.

Unmanned Aerial Systems as we call them, or more commonly ‘drones’, have quickly become an invaluable tool for scientists to collect data from otherwise inaccessible areas. In this talk, I’ll focus on one such application – the measurement of gasses directly above active volcanoes! I’ll be reviewing the ambitious expeditions undertaken to the depths of jungles in Papua New Guinea to the frozen islands of the sub-Antarctic.