Trends Spring 2017 | Page 15

Drone use expands current capabilities, supports diverse number of disciplines By Jennifer Schmidt E ngineering is far from a static industry. Technology is constantly advancing. New innovations are always under development. And the limits of what once was considered the “standard” approach are continually being tested. But employing unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, to conduct critical engineering calculations? The thought of using drone technology to gather this information never occurred to Brenda Quinnell, director of the Adams County Solid Waste Department in Friendship, Wisconsin. Luckily for Quinnell, Ayres Associates did. “That just reiterates why we use Ayres – because they’re not afraid to use the newest technologies and think outside the box,” Quinnell said. Continued on page 18 AyresAssociates.com │15