The Top Drones for Good Stories of 2023

It’s hard to believe that 2023 is almost over. One way we like to close out the old year and prepare for the new one is to look back at all the ways drones were used for good throughout the world.

To us, the phrase drones for good means many things. It could refer to the lifesaving work done by first responders, or to important conservation research. But it can also refer to ways that drones are helping artists create beautiful artwork.

Keep reading for our favorite drones for good stories from 2023.

1. Revolutionizing Medical Logistics

Credit: Zipline

This year Zipline announced a major partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, a leading healthcare institution, to enhance medical delivery using drones. The partnership focuses on delivering essential medications directly to patients’ homes using Zipline’s advanced P2 drone platform. The drone system promises quick, efficient, and environmentally friendly delivery solutions, improving patient experience. The partnership plans to expand services beyond medications to include a wider range of healthcare items.

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2. Everdrone’s Lifesaving Missions

A study published in The Lancet this year highlighted Everdrone’s success in delivering Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) via drones. The study found that drones delivered AEDs faster than ambulances 67% of the time, demonstrating the potential for drones to significantly impact emergency medical services.

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3. Capturing Incredible Shots of Oceanic Wildlife

 

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A post shared by Sutton Lake Lynch (@suttonlynch)

One of our favorite things in 2023 was discovering the work of sea wildlife videographer Sutton Lynch, who was profiled in the New York Times this year. In the video above, Lynch captured beautiful aerial footage of a pair of humpback whales feeding within 100 feet of the beach. It turns out the whales were feeding on something unusual: “I was surprised to find these humpbacks feeding on sand eels rather than menhaden. Using what looks to be an altered method of bubble-net feeding, they worked in unison to corral the small baitfish into a more dense school, rising together and gulping everything in their path.” According to Lynch, eating eels is fairly uncommon, and is a learned behavior passed on from older generations of humpbacks. Follow the link below to see more of Lynch’s incredible work.

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4. Enabling Offshore Drone Deliveries for Wind Energy Farms

This year, wind energy company Ørsted announced that it has been testing heavy lift drones for cargo deliveries to support its offshore wind energy operations. These drones can carry up to 150 pounds and are being tested for their cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and safety improvements in logistics.

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5. Guiding Conservation Work by Improving Counts of Rare Gibbon

Credit: Oliver Wearn/ Fauna & Flora International

In 2023, researchers used drones to improve population count of the critically endangered Cao-vit gibbon along the Vietnam-China border. Equipped with thermal sensors, the drones provided more accurate data than previous ground surveys. This new method helped identify new gibbon groups, which was a big help for conservation efforts. Although the count revealed a smaller population than previously thought, this was due to more precise data rather than a decline in numbers. The use of drones represents a significant advancement in wildlife research and conservation efforts.

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6. Improving the Way We Do Avalanche Monitoring

This year, the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT), in partnership with DJI and Frontier Precision, has been testing the DJI Dock and Matrice 30 for avalanche monitoring and prevention in Juneau, Alaska. The DJI Dock was used to enable constant monitoring in the remote, rugged terrain outside Juneau, helping identify potential avalanche hazards.

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7. Helping Curb Subway Surfing

This year in New York City teenagers were climbing on top of elevated subway cars and riding—or surfing—them. And yes, it’s just as dangerous as it sounds. To stop this behavior, the NYPD began using drones to spot teens standing on top of subway trains, enabling officers on the ground to catch those doing it. The footage has been used for some arrests but the main goal is deterrence. According to the NYPD, they’re not putting most teens caught subway surfing into the system. Instead, they’re showing the footage to their parents or guardians in the hopes of preventing future incidents.

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8. Helping Prevent Sexual Violence

Credit: Sussex Police

This year in Brighton, UK, the Sussex Police started doing drone patrols along Brighton Beach at night to combat sexual assault. The drones were equipped with thermal cameras, spotlights, and loudspeakers. Police deployed them over the beachfront to monitor for potential victims and attackers, especially during busy nights.

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9. Catching Puppy Thieves

This year, law enforcement in the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office used a drone to find the location of two suspects accused of stealing puppies. The puppies were four French Bulldogs valued at an estimated $11,000. The suspects had fled into a cornfield, but the drone helped identify their location.

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10. Creating Forest Inventories with Drones and AI

Credit: Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research

This year, researchers created a new way to do tree surveys using a combination of drone technology and AI. The new method can help scientists quickly make forest inventories, allowing them to create a highly accurate count of the number of trees present, including details like height, diameter, and type for every single tree. The first place where researchers tested this method is in mapping mangrove forests on the coast of Colombia.

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11. Capturing the Incredible Work of LifeGuards

This year, tattoo artist Joe Osborne put his drone up while on a break to get some aerial shots of Flagler Beach, FL. While flying over the beach, he was surprised to see an intense, coordinated rescue taking place—using buoys and lines, lifeguards were in the process of saving a boogie boarder who had run into trouble some distance from the shore. Forming a chain in the water, the rescuers worked hard as a team until he was safely ashore.

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12. Identifying Cool Areas During Record Heat Waves

A map showing places where you can cool down in the city of Paris

During a record heatwave this year, the French weather service Météo France used drones to identify the coolest areas in Paris and share them with the public. The drones, equipped with thermal sensors, flew through the city collecting heat data. This data was used to create a digital map showing cool spots, including indoor areas and public parks. The map also showed the locations of drinking fountains and water misters.

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13. DJI’s Drone Rescue Map Hits 1,000 Rescues

Credit: DJI

Three years back, DJI launched its Drone Rescue Map to track life-saving rescues made by drones throughout the world. To qualify as a drone rescue for the map, the drone has to be a key part of rescuing someone from peril—either saving their life or removing them from imminent danger. This year, that map hit 1,000 people saved. These rescues happened in over 600 individual rescue incidents, which took place in 39 different countries throughout the world.

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14. Monitoring the Waters to Reduce Shark Attacks

Credit: New York State

Five shark bites were reported along the beaches of Long Island, New York this summer, leading to a significant increase in the use of drones for shark monitoring. The state of New York first started using drones to keep people safe from sharks in 2018, after an increase in shark sightings and bites. After the bites, dozens of new drones to monitor shark activity were sent to three of Long Island’s most popular state parks, as well as to parts of New York City.

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15. Saving a Couple Whose Car Fell into a Sinkhole

Back in July, a teen drone pilot named Josh Logue was flying his drone in Brighton, Colorado to look at damage done by flooding. While in the air, he spotted something strange—a dark spot on the road. When he flew closer, he saw that a sinkhole had opened in the road, and an SUV was upside down inside it. Two people were trapped inside, and water from a nearby canal was rising, filling the overturned SUV. Logue rushed to the site with a neighbor to help. Firefighters soon arrived and cut through the SUV to free the people, who were able to escape. If Logue hadn’t spotted them from the air, they probably wouldn’t have survived.

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