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A New Zealand Army soldier launches a Vector fixed-wing eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) drone as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Rockhampton, QLD. (CPL Janet Pan)
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With 60 million drone flights annually by 2043, drones are here to stay, but they’re also finding some unexpected use cases. Here are seven ways they’re being deployed to reshape industry in Australia.
Air(borne) traffic control
If you’re snarled in traffic on a highway near Sydney, you might soon see rescue from a surprising source. Transport for NSW is now using “drone-in-a-box” technology, where drones are stationed in weatherproof docking stations for remote deployment along major road corridors beyond visual line of sight. The idea is that operators up to 50 kilometres away in the Transport Management Centre (TMC) will be able to quickly spot traffic incidents, providing real-time updates so transport workers can mount a rapid response and get traffic moving again sooner, as well as providing better updates to commuters through platforms like the Live Traffic app and variable message signs.
“This program, funded by the NSW Government Drones for Roads program, will cut response times, helping keep our roads and highways moving,” says the state’s Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison. “We’re rolling out these drone-in-a-box units across key routes in Sydney, and we’re exploring opportunities for more drone-in-a-box units in key regional corridors.
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