VIRTUAL New Schools of Thought

Abstract

The technology and legislation surrounding the use of UAVs is now, in 2023, reasonably mature. They have been utilized in the film industry, scientific surveys, mapping applications, and for military purposes for a decade or more, among many other uses. Their use in architecture and urbanism has been extensively researched by Videras Rodriguez et al in 2021. However, the applications for which these “drones” have been used in architecture and urban planning have thus far been dictated by what is commercially available. Thus, building on the research of Videras Rodriguez et al, the focus of this research is as follows. There are other classes of multirotor which thus far have not been widely deployed for architectural purposes. This preliminary literature review seeks to identify first which tasks in the fields of architecture and urban planning are currently commonly undertaken by UAVs, then identify areas where UAVs could be beneficially employed if a more suitable type of craft were selected, and finally identify which sorts of craft currently available might be suited to those tasks. The research question is: “Are there any areas in architecture/urban planning in which UAVs could be beneficially employed in ways in which they are not currently, and which type of craft could best suit these purposes?” The expected out-come is that there is indeed a gap in the utilization of UAVs in these areas, and the most suitable type of craft to be adapted will be identified. Videras Rodríguez M, Melgar SG, Cordero AS, Márquez JMA. A critical review of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) use in architecture and urbanism: Scientometric and bibliometric analysis. Applied Sciences. 2021;11(21):9966.