On June 13-14, 2024, the 5th AIRlabs Austria Future Conference took place under the motto ‘Shaping the use and possibilities of unmanned aerial systems’. Around 200 experts from industry, research and public authorities gathered in Graz to discuss the use of drones in agriculture, forestry, environmental protection and rescue operations. The participants were predominantly specialists with in-depth knowledge of drone technologies and their practical application in operational scenarios.

Here too, a survey was conducted as part of the SORA4UAM project – with an English-language poster based on the format of the ‘Long Night of Research’. The results show that even among experts, areas of application with social benefits are a high priority. However, the infrastructure sector stood out clearly and received the most votes with 40% – significantly more than in the previous survey of the general public. This reflects the focus of many presentations, which dealt with inspections, network monitoring and digital infrastructure.

Environmental issues remained strongly represented with 26%, which is no surprise given the focus of the conference. Medical applications were rated at 13%, which may be due to the fact that participants took on the role of service providers rather than users. Recreational and everyday applications each accounted for around 10%.