Drones are expected to play a major role in the advancement of Tasmania's economy and are expected to contribute upwards to $400 million to the Tasmanian economy by 2040.
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UTAS teacher and course coordinator, Mark Shelton, said the state was starting to see the emergence of drones in relation to economic benefit, and also added that Tasmania was in the beginnings of a drone revolution.
It is estimated that there will be as much as seven per cent in cost savings in agriculture between 2020 and 2040 with a medium uptake of the technology.
"If you're using them to get information that would have historically had to be done by potentially driving a car around the property, you're obviously saving on fuel, you could potentially be saving on labour, as well," Mr Shelton said.
Mr Shelton said drones in the agricultural sector were used to provide information and data about agricultural settings.
"They can provide a heap of information about the geography of the land and they can be used to take photographs, and people can get real time feedback on how much grass is on paddocks etc".
"You could program a drone to run an entire lap of your property and identify any issues with your fencing while you're sitting on the back porch having a cup of tea.
Mr Shelton said he believed that people with existing jobs would start to see drone operations introduced as part of their jobs.
"Areas like mining and scanning and looking at mines, especially open cut mines, and areas like agriculture, you might not be a full time drone pilot, but it might become a part of your existing role if you're already working in that space.
UTAS Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) Technical Manager Andrew Willoughby along with teaching fellow Mark Shelton will attend Agfest in August to connect with the agricultural sector to talk about the benefits of drones.
"I've used drones in other jobs that I've had and I've come out of industry, particularly in engineering and manufacturing where we have flown drones for stocktaking materials, and all sorts of things," Mr Wiloughby said.
"We're keen to connect with the agricultural sector right across Tasmania to see what solutions we can provide for them using drones and to help them with short courses to train them in drone usage and operation.
At Agfest, Mark and Andrew will be partnering with Taz Drone Solutions to showcase what people need to fly drones, including licences, cameras and scanners.
Mr Willoughby also noted that there was some interesting virtual reality work happening in the agricultural industry in Tasmania right now.
He said the University of Tasmania Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) facility was providing students with a greater connection to industry, while working with industry to find solutions.
"We're doing 3D printing, printing parts for drones for repairs when things take too long to get here from suppliers, and helping start ups to get going.
"There are some great opportunities for the OEM and the University to solve problems for the agricultural sector.
Andrew Willoughby and Mark Shelton will be presenting demonstrations in agriculture at Agfest in the UTAS Pavilion and will discuss how technology and innovations are allowing drones to be used commercially.
"We're trying to upskill existing employees in the most efficient manner and to give them that skill set so they can identify areas that could be used in their organisations," Mr Shelton said.
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