Drones for Good: How small ideas make waves | Andrew Davies | TEDxHobart

[@iamfitandfab]

Man I really loved how much he spoke on relationships and community throughout all of this process. Such a great reminder that innovations like this are about people too not just tech

[@mateomardenson3022]

So cool to see big innovations coming out of a beautiful little corner of the world.

[@MediaCrunch]

Talk about turning passion into purpose! Going from personal experimentation to a globally recognized solution is incredibly impressive

[@hamlinr]

Hearing how the team persevered through setbacks to create tangible solutions is such a great example of grit and determination.

[@CuddleSkunk]

Sounds like he made his dream job a reality. Well done!

[@giacomots]

Using drones to replace dangerous human tasks is fantastic. Life just gets better and better.

[@Steven-Francis]

What an amazing can-do attitude! More people need to have that kind of faith in their ideas.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thanks mate!

[@vajragem]

Andrew shows a real sense of purpose, dedicating years to work out how to use drones to solve problems. Pretty inspirational.

[@jonahcuster2302]

Love to see a small-town business leading such innovative developments!

[@sadiaykor]

Love that this started as a solution to a local problem! You know you're on to something good when it makes a global impact

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Yeah!! All of our creations have started in our back yard! I'm super grateful to be in Tasmania.

[@maevequinn]

The thing I love most about this is yes the drones he makes can do all these amazing things but he didn't start out with that intention, like he just kept building on what he already had and figuring out how to apply it to more and more places, that's so cool.

[@ariadne1428]

Incredible how drones are revolutionizing not just surveillance but also practical applications in infrastructure and safety. The work on the dams is particularly impressive!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you :) It's been a long journey

[@Lauren-im7pe]

Far out there are some brilliant people in this world. Such amazing innovation.

[@orlageary5104]

this drone talk was way more interesting than i thought it'd be. he's got me thinking about all the cool stuff we could do with flying robots.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

I was going to make my talk about everything in the industry but focused on what we've been creating. It really is mind blowing what's happening in the industry globally!

[@gailspordard]

Applause!! It's a rare person that sees a need and does something about it instead of waiting for others.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you :)

[@SpeckledDudess]

I didn't expect the environmental applications and use of drones in back burning. Mind blowing.

[@claireblackett5230]

Well done Andy! Super interesting talk and it's great to see all your hard work paying off.👏👏👏

[@andrewdavies5147]

Thanks Claire :)

[@Govindsinghsuryavansh]

Hello

[@harrietgomez5859]

The photo of his grandfather is beautiful. Also, it show's how different live is from what it was 50/100 years ago!

[@averagestudent4632]

This presentation was a breath of fresh air! It’s great to see innovative minds applying new tech in ways that enhance safety and efficiency.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you :)

[@evan-bailey]

The focus on safety is so important, especially in high-risk industries like mining and firefighting. Very plain to see how much of a game changer this is

[@SimonOatsStoryteller]

Congratulations Andrew! Awesome work!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thanks Simon :)

[@evie-c]

This talk really hit home for me! Loved the emphasis on problem-solving, resilience, and never being afraid to fail forward!

[@wadecampster]

this talk was way better than I expected. never thought I'd be so hyped about drones

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you. That's super heart warming :)

[@skyec8562]

this talk's got me wondering what other tech we're afraid of now that might end up being super useful in the future!

[@pleaseinspiremetoday]

it's wild how solving one problem led to so many other applications. goes to show you never know where an idea might lead

[@1dougrad1]

Great talk, congratulations Andy!! Excited to see what the next problem you'll take on will be!

[@andrewdavies5147]

Thank you

[@johnjjgravely]

love how they MacGyver'd their way through problems. reminds me of building stuff with my dad as a kid

[@thecurenotthesymptom]

Such a cool attitude to have. Just say yes, believe in the thing and make it happen.

[@benjamingdorey]

gotta admit, i laughed at first when he said they were gonna light fires with drones. not laughing now, that's some serious innovation

[@bluedefender2325]

Pretty impessed by the ingenuity of this guy! Especially his approach to problem-solving. It's a reminder that innovation often starts with a simple "yes"

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you :) start with "yes" and if you believe it's going to have a positive impact then figure it out as you go.

[@TheO835]

Fantastic talk 🎉

[@andrewdavies5147]

Thank you Theo

[@mahmoodhussein7639]

an outstanding and inspiring story Andrew, thanks for sharing.

[@andrewdavies5147]

Thank you Mahmood :)

[@sarah-janeohara]

Such awesome innovation! Totally Rad!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thanks SJ

[@haileypattern7666]

Fantastic use of drone technology to handle dangerous tasks! Reducing human risk in such scenarios is a huge advancement

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

100%

[@QuickShareMcDare]

As someone who's terrified of heights, I'm all for these drones doing the dangerous stuff lol

[@rodmatsumoto]

It’s inspiring to see how drones can make such a positive impact. His story of perseverance and innovation really stood out.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thanks mate

[@catelynrichards5051]

Absolutely awesome!

[@lucyhossel]

This sounds like such a cool job, just getting to build a bunch of cool drones and solving so many problems!

[@thefast_and_the_curious]

This is awesome! Makes me wonder what other cool stuff drones could do that we haven't thought of yet

[@vindemour]

What a great use of tech, well done

[@be-present-now]

We all need a friend like Brady

[@jordanbaslier]

One part of his success that isn't really mentioned (obviously I'm guessing) is the freedom to try and fail without the pressure of earning from his idea for a considerable amount of time. I imagine he saved from a good wage at the mines and moving home lowered his overheads. Credit to him for putting himself in a position to give it a good shot.

[@vesper4463]

It's certainly nice to hear about drones being used for something other than war

[@katarinabloom]

love how they're solving real problems, not just making another silly app

[@savannahdiego]

While the tech is undoubtedly impressive, I'd love to hear more about how these drones hold up in extreme weather conditions.

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

We have flown them in cyclonic winds, snow, heats up to 50 degrees, in the rain and hail. They're super robust.

[@svetlanavstarceva]

So interesting!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Thank you

[@13MYSTIX13]

I'm genuinely impressed that drones are making dangerous jobs safer.

[@ronheslegrave9487]

Wow I didn't even know drones could be used for so many things!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

I'm glad you learned something from the talk :)

[@asikahoinka]

I get that this is a really cool and innovative way of using drones but I can't help but wonder about the environmental impact, especially on delicate ecosystems

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

The impact generally is lower then tradition methods using manned aircraft or ground vehicles. With the fuel reduction burning this is a delicate process and we work under local governmant to ensure everything is safe.

[@marianaattentio]

Imagine telling his younger mining self that he'd be revolutionizing industries with flying robots. Talk about a glow-up!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

I wouldn't have believed it!

[@therealmeisme]

ntebt using drones to make controlled burns safer is genius. why didn't anyone think of this before?

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

That's what I thought! Crazy hey.

[@sergeymarushckin]

I'm not sure if I want to see where tech takes us in another 20 years.

[@linasuchodolskyte]

You just know this guy is gonna get all the moneys now he's going international.

[@calvinhostetler]

kinda wild how a random meeting on a yacht started all this. talk about lucky breaks!

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

haha lucky with 4 years of grinding out 12-14 hour days to make the dream a reality. I'm still doing a lot now 8 years later! But I was very lucky to find someone that inspired me to make a change in my life :)

[@darlenemjackson]

love seeing these things, saw what they did in China using drones instead of fireworks - amazing

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Yeah so many great applications for the technology! The future is bright.

[@eirajansta]

I had a similar response to that old man in the opening story lol the first time I saw one in action I was with friends in a resort in Thailand, we were all in the pool and one of the guys just had this drone flying around lol I was so confused about wtf it was

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Yeah I get it! Hopefully the talk helped show some of the good things drones are doing.

[@hooponopono8528]

I get the old man not understanding/being scared of the tech. Things have changed so much even in the last 20 years, we have a robot that can poor a beer and give the peace sign while it poses for a photo!!!

[@dantepjet]

I’m curious about the long-term costs. Maintaining such specialized drones must require significant resources, right?

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Good question. The overall life of drones isn't that long, maybe 2-3 years max. Mostly because the industry is developing so fast. Maintenance costs are pretty low overall. You mostly just have motors wearing out which aren't that expensive. It used to be batteries but they're super robust now, the batteries will last as long as the drone technology stays current.

[@BruceWayne-nm5cr]

I’m impressed by the creativity here, but I’m wondering about the carbon footprint of these drones compared to the tasks they replace?

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Generally we're offsetting the use of helicopters or large crews of people using machinery so the carbon footprint on what we're replacing should in most cases be a lot better.

[@georgenotbest]

always thought drones were just for military stuff and annoying people at the beach lol this talk opened my eyes... maybe I shouldn't be so quick to hate on new tech

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Haha It's not all fire and brimstone :)

[@kylelramsay]

Never knew that massive dam walls made from tonnes of concrete were susceptible to weeds.

[@stewynotthedog]

This guy is absolutely cowboy'n this chit! I'm so into it! But are there any safety protocols in place? Sounds like they just Frankenstein a few DJI's and the clients like "yeah mate, give it a crack aye!"

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

hahaha we adhere to all the safety regulations by CASA and landowners. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to show the footage in a TEDx talk. But yeah, you summed it up pretty well there. We're building our own end to end platforms now but the DJI platforms helped kickstart everything for us.

[@julie-chan]

Had to laugh at the bit about how much went wrong trying to develop that first drone. That's always the way but it helps iron out all the issues early on!

[@luisasanchez5532]

I can't believe his "yes first, figure it out later" attitude lol that kind of thinking legit gives me anxiety

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Haha yeah it's stressful!! I choose to believe in a good outcome and weigh up the consequences and most of the time it all works out okay :)

[@alicjakmusia]

This is some futuristic space level chit.

[@harrydecker3979]

I honestly had no idea drones could be used for so much. I thought they were just like... expensive toys for amateur photographers

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

There's a big world of practical drone applications like this!! I'm glad you learned something, that was one of my main inspirations for doing the talk.

[@riddermartijn]

hope they're being super careful with those flammable liquids. sounds kinda sketchy tbh

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

There's a science behind it all. We work with industry professionals and never put anyone at risk.

[@omprakashluthra5003]

787 mai mahadev ji ki kripa ka aabhari hun

[@FortunateFollows]

Did the engineer end up with shares in the company? Seems he was integral to getting it off the ground.

[@leodancingsanders]

How was he able to give so much time to this? Was he working a job at the same time? Or just living off money saved from the mines?

[@michealdrozd]

As cool as this is, I'm concerned about job displacement. I feel like every time a task becomes automated it just takes opportunities away from someone who was doing it manually

[@OfficialAndrewDavies]

Everyone still has their job in all the spaces we're operating in. We're generally a complimentary service that just takes the professionals out of harms way and frees them up to do what they're best at!! It's normally a matter of resource re-allocation not delete one and replace it with another.

[@farahjuniper9214]

Feel like we're always so behind when it comes to boundaries for tech, I mean, look at A.I. Am I really the only one that's nervous about this sh*t?

[@imadampierce]

I don't have the drive to do what this guy did...

[@pascaldegarde6756]

More and more are going to be left behind as our world becomes more tech. No way those abseilers thought they'd be out of a job because of a drone.