In recent years, with the full-scale outbreak of consumer-grade UAVs, competition in this field is becoming more and more intense. However, in the field of underwater drones, due to the continuous deepening of marine economic development and huge development potential, it has won a rare period of growth opportunities. Nowadays, underwater drones are becoming a new gold mine to be explored in the drone industry.

    Underwater drones welcome development opportunities, battery technology breakthroughs help outbreaks

    According to foreign media reports, the French free diving master Neri has sneaked into the waters off the coast of Nice in the south of France. With the help of the underwater drone iBubble, it is easy to capture the surrounding sea bottom without the need to do it. According to reports, this is the world's first civilian drone designed for underwater photography. It was developed by a French startup and is aimed at diving enthusiasts, scientists, resorts and diving centers.

    In fact, underwater drones don't just shoot this feature. In recent years, underwater drones are welcoming an accelerated period of development and increasingly diversified functions.

    Underwater drone field "blue sea rippling"

    In recent years, with the gradual maturity of drone technology and the lowering of industry thresholds and the widening of application scenarios, the drone market has grown rapidly. According to Gartner, the global drone market will reach nearly 3 million units this year, with sales exceeding $6 billion. This means that drone sales will increase by 39% compared to 2016 and sales will increase by 34%.

    In recent years, with the influx of capital and technology update iterations, the consumer airborne drone industry has undergone shuffling and integration, and the country has released a series of policies on drone airspace control. The consumer-grade air drone has turned from a "blue ocean" to the "Red Sea."

    The sky of the drone market has been heated up, and the underwater is still a blue ocean.

    Under such circumstances, a new "virgin land slowly emerges, that is, the underwater drone that is accelerating. The competition for consumer-class drones is so fierce, and the road to change is not unselectable, especially for start-ups. Said that there is a better development environment and opportunities in the field of underwater drones.

    Underwater drone development advantages are significant

    At present, in the field of underwater drones, technology research and development is still in its infancy, and few companies are able to launch mainstream products with real industry influence. At present, they are basically in a state of exploration. The market is equivalent to a vast and innocent wasteland. Therefore, under multiple factors, the underwater drone has become one of the most “exploitable areas” of the drone industry, and its development advantage is remarkable.

    First of all, from the development background: the traditional underwater operation, manual operation is not only very complicated, but personal safety can not be fully guaranteed. Moreover, with the increasing popularity of human marine activities, the development of various industries on the water and underwater has been accelerating, and the demand for underwater drones will continue to rise in the future. This is the trend of the times.

    Secondly, from the application field: underwater drones are similar to land drones, and have broad development potential. They can be widely used in fish farming, hull maintenance, sightseeing diving, sea mine exploration, marine monitoring, biological research, water. Under the navigation, underwater rescue, pipeline inspection and many other fields, it can well fit the future development direction of the marine economy and help the growth of the water industry.

    In addition, from the product advantage: With the upgrade and mature application of underwater drone technology, not only can the risk of manual work be greatly reduced, but also the efficiency of operation can be improved and the corresponding expenditure cost can be reduced. At the same time, under the promotion of other cutting-edge technologies, underwater UAVs continue to improve in both comprehensive performance and cost-effectiveness, which can not only complete the work better, but also promote the scale development of this industry.

    Dedicated battery development or breakthrough

    Nowadays drones are very popular. Underwater drones are more useful. Exploring the ocean, searching for fish, divers photography... are all inseparable from the help of underwater drones. However, underwater drones also have some drawbacks, such as the limited distance that can be taken with each charge.

    In addition, underwater drones usually use lithium batteries, but such batteries can cause some problems. For example, such batteries can cause fires, so airplanes generally do not carry lithium batteries, which are transported through large vessels. Therefore, how to improve the battery life and safety is the key.

    Recently, MIT's capital-investing company, OpenWaterPower, has developed a new type of battery that can convert electricity through seawater to extend the working distance of underwater drones by a factor of ten. According to the company, the newly developed battery can “drink sea water and discharge waste. Compared with the way of discharging the onshore engine, the technology does not cause too much damage to the environment.

    According to the R&D team, the new battery provides 10 times more power than ordinary lithium batteries and is safer and more durable. However, the new battery can maintain its power through the above principle only when it is not in the water, and the researchers found that the aluminum anode is more susceptible to corrosion, but the user can replace the aluminum anode at a low price.

    With the breakthrough of key technologies such as batteries and the gradual commercialization, it is believed that the development of the underwater drone field will usher in greater help. This will not only improve the efficiency and safety of underwater drones, but also contribute to the sustainable development of the entire industry.