Public Perception of Drones versus Industry Expectation in Hasselt

Abstract

Drones are one of the most relevant emerging technologies of the modern era for they are a truly cost-effective solution for a wide range of business affairs. However, this technology has raised safety and security concerns among the general public. The investigation seeks to unveil elements that are essential to understand regarding recent developments and concerns that are later reflected in public policies. The first part of the investigation consists of in-depth interviews to industry players in Hasselt. The second research tool is an online survey addressed to the general population of Hasselt in which their concerns and preferences are polled. The investigation has confirmed that the true capabilities of drones are not faithfully perceived by the general population. Given the polled drone-related cases, the most promising applications for drones are the transport of high-value goods between well-defined locations like business-to-business operations or between medical centers. Thus, there should be a gradual deployment of proven safe business cases as these will gradually shift perception from skepticism to approval. However, doing so would directly interfere with the anticipated growth for this market. The future of this research lies on using this investigation as input for polling a truly potential business case.