Exploring drone insurance to deal with the hidden dangers of agricultural drones after sale

[China Agricultural Machinery Industry News] Aerospace insurance company Allianz Global Enterprise and Special Risks recently released a research report "The Rise of UAVs: Managing the Unique Risks Related to UAVs" and reminded that in order to ensure the safe operation of drones, it is necessary Systematic registration of drones and sound education and training for operators. In this regard, the domestic insurance industry began to explore drone insurance in the professional field to deal with the risk of after-sales risks of agricultural drones.

Exploring drone insurance to deal with the hidden dangers of agricultural drones after sale

In recent years, with the development of drone technology and rapid public acceptance, drones are being used by millions of people for industrial inspection, aerial photography, border patrols, emergency transportation, crop investigations, or just for entertainment. The popularity of man-machine or drone systems.

However, as more and more drones fly in the sky, a series of security risks have emerged, such as collisions, cyber attacks, and even terrorist acts. Aerospace insurance company Allianz Global Enterprise and Special Risks recently released a research report "The Rise of UAVs: Managing the Unique Risks Related to UAVs" and reminded that in order to ensure the safe operation of drones, it is necessary to systematically design UAVs. Registration, sound education and training for operators. In this regard, the domestic insurance industry began to explore drone insurance in the professional field to deal with the risk of after-sales risks of agricultural drones.

More security risks in use

As drones become smaller, more affordable, easier to use, and countries that are represented by the United States modify regulations, such as lowering barriers to entry, the future of civilian drones is bright. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, by the end of 2016, the United States will have more than 600,000 drones for commercial use. This is three times the number of registered manned aircraft. In addition, 1.9 million drones are expected to be used for entertainment purposes.

Globally, the drone market is expected to reach 4.7 million units; by 2020, the commercial drone market is expected to soar from $2 billion to $127 billion. As for the domestic market, relevant data also shows that by 2025, the total size of the domestic drone market is expected to reach 75 billion yuan.

"In the next decade, drones will be widely used in commercial scenarios because they can effectively perform trivial or dangerous tasks." Thomas Kriesmann, a senior global security expert at Allianz, explains: For example, workers fall from the roof when checking houses. Accidents and work injury compensation are expected to decrease as a result. “In the future, in many industries, in developing countries and in the process of disaster relief, drones may not only solve problems but also save costs; it can also be used to transport blood and vaccines to some remote areas in Africa, to extinguish grass fires, and to carry out Pest control, even express pizza and coffee."

In addition, insurance companies have begun to use drones for risk assessment of construction or infrastructure projects, and the use of drones to investigate the loss of the site after the incident is also faster and more effective. For example, after the explosion in Tianjin Port last year, some areas were banned from entering. Use the drone to take a high-resolution picture of the accident and compare it with the previous picture to determine the number of vehicles that were damaged.

However, in the "Rise of UAVs: Managing the Unique Risks Related to UAVs" (hereinafter referred to as "Reports"), Van Meter, the global leader of Allianz, also pointed out that as the number of UAVs doubled, collisions occurred. And the possibility of other loss accidents will also increase. Not only that, but new risks and the possibility of improper use of drone technology also need to be taken seriously. In particular, there are two major safety hazards, air collision and loss of control.

In recent years, domestic and foreign drones have fallen and injured people, collided with aerial objects, and a series of disturbances such as air flight conditions. According to media reports, in Washington, when a helicopter was broadcasting a fire news, the pilot found that a drone almost hit the helicopter fuselage. However, the incident did not cause any adverse consequences.

The report pointed out that hollow collisions often occur when the flight controller does not see and avoid manned aircraft in time, especially if the normal flight altitude is below 500 feet, such as helicopters, agricultural aircraft, or during take-off or landing. Statistics show that in the United States, flight controllers, citizens and law enforcement officers have observed that drone reports have increased fivefold in the past year.

At the same time, when the drone crashes, or flies out of the signal range, it may also cause loss of control. Allianz pointed out that if the drone is out of control during a house inspection and hits a truck or a shop, the flight controller may be responsible for it; even if it is a small drone, if it hits the aircraft engine, the economic loss Or the hazard may be greater. In addition, the use of drones to carry out terrorist acts, such as attacks on critical infrastructure, such as (nuclear) power stations and on-site activities, is a potential new risk. Other scenarios include hackers directing drones in the air to hit targets, or invading radio signals, stealing valuable recorded data from another console. In addition, drones also involve security concerns about personal privacy.