Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Applications in Critical Industrial Sectors

Dear Colleagues,

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has seen exponential growth across various domains due to their versatility and ability to perform tasks that are either too dangerous or impractical for human workers. In recent years, UAV technology has evolved considerably, offering advanced solutions for monitoring, inspection, and data collection. These developments are particularly beneficial in critical industrial sectors where safety and precision are paramount. For instance, in environments like nuclear power plants, oil refineries, and gas processing facilities, UAVs can access areas that are hazardous or challenging for humans, thereby minimizing risks and enhancing operational effectiveness. However, UAVs currently employed in industrial sectors encounter significant challenges, such as difficulties with indoor navigation and localization, as well as problematic interactions with surfaces when flying close to objects. These issues limit the practical application of UAVs in complex industrial environments. These challenges underscore the need for advancements in UAV technology to enhance their safety, reliability, and operational efficiency before they can be widely adopted in many industrial sectors. Moreover, the integration of UAVs into industrial workflows demands robust solutions to address issues such as real-time data processing and obstacle avoidance. Addressing these technical difficulties is crucial for leveraging the full potential of UAVs in tasks such as inspection, maintenance, and monitoring in industries like manufacturing, construction, and energy.

This Special Issue will focus on the pivotal role of UAVs in enhancing operations within critical industrial sectors. UAV technology is rapidly advancing, providing significant improvements in safety, efficiency, and data accuracy in industries such as nuclear power, oil and gas, and other hazardous environments. We invite original research articles and insightful case studies that demonstrate innovative UAV applications in these high-stakes fields. Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to, infrastructure inspection and maintenance, safety monitoring, environmental impact assessments, and operational efficiency in nuclear stations, and the oil and gas processing sectors.

This Special Issue will showcase the latest advancements, best practices, and forward-looking trends in UAV technology, offering essential knowledge for researchers, industry professionals, and regulatory bodies.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that discuss the following themes:

• Novel UAV designs that improve indoor flyability, especially in complex industrial environments;
• Innovative UAV designs that enhance and optimize interactions when operating near surfaces;
• Novel sensors that are well suited to UAV applications in industrial sectors including those for ecological assessments and pollution tracking inside facilities;
• Advanced UAV designs for hazardous environments, such as nuclear power stations, energy facilities, etc.;
• Advanced systems for precise UAV localization in industrial sectors;
• The use of UAVs for non-destructive testing, especially those that can perform quantitative inspections.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Dr. Dayi Zhang
Prof. Dr. Gordon Dobie
Dr. Jesus Enrique Sierra-Garcia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• advanced unmanned aerial vehicles
• unmanned aerial vehicles in industrial sectors
• autonomous UAV systems
• UAV-based critical infrastructure monitoring
• hazardous environment inspection using UAVs
• UAV technology advancements
• infrastructure maintenance using UAVs
• UAV environmental impact assessment