DRONES. APPLICATIONS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING AND GEOSCIENCES/ DRONES. APLICACIONES EN INGENIERIA CIVIL Y GEOCIENCIAS/ DRONES. APLICACOES NA ENGENHARIA CIVIL E GEOCIENCIAS

Drones are unmanned radio-controlled and retrievable aerial vehicles; currently they exist with a variety of features, shapes and sizes depending on the use to which they are intended. They have great potential because they can move through areas of high risk and difficult access overcoming any obstacles, offering aerial images or collecting a variety of data without endangering the life of a crew. Equipped with a high resolution camera or any other sensors, they bridge the gap between labor-intensive field studies and satellite remote sensing. Based on a study on the state of the art of this unmanned aerial instrument, an analysis about its application in the field of engineering and geosciences is presented. The use of drones is increasingly spreading to different areas of Earth Sciences because of its economy, precision and low human risks.