The price is skyrocketing, but finding an expert is like picking stars out of the sky [Kang Hong-min's Good Job]


Drone Developers Ground Aircraft ALUX CTO (Technical Director)  


Drones, unmanned flying robots created for military purposes in the early 20th century, are now used in various industries. According to Fortune Business Insight, the drone market size is expected to grow rapidly at an average annual rate of 42.78% from $13.48 billion (approximately KRW 17.8 trillion) in 2022 to $232.8 billion (approximately KRW 308 trillion) by 2029. Experts predict that the expansion of industries using drones, such as delivery, courier, F&B, and even drone taxis, will further increase.

While the training of drone experts is an ongoing process in Korea, the reality is that the number of drone experts is significantly small. The ground-based CTO of ALUX, which is currently developing and manufacturing domestic educational drones, is one of Korea's leading drone experts. We heard about the world of 'drone developers' from him, who has been researching drones since his time at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology about 10 years ago.


These days, most everyone knows about drones in a general sense, but I think there are those who don't know about the background of drones.

“A drone is an unmanned aircraft controlled automatically or remotely without a pilot. Since it was developed for military purposes in the early 20th century, technological development has continued. In particular, thanks to technological advancements in wireless communication, GPS, and cameras, drones are currently being used in various industrial and private sectors.

“Recently, it has become so common in broadcast production that there is talk of not being able to make a program without drone filming.”


When were drones introduced in Korea?

“In the mid-2000s, the flying robot team at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developed industrial drones, and I believe that was when drones came into the country. At that time, the general public did not know much about drones and called them flying robots instead.”


What was the purpose of the drone created by the research institute?

“We developed a surveillance and reconnaissance drone used for firefighting purposes, such as rescue or forest fire prevention.

“At that time, the scope of use was so narrow that development was carried out only for research and development purposes rather than for actual use in the field.”


Was there a time when you quit a relatively stable job and started a business?

“I developed a flying robot, but since it was for research purposes, I wanted more people to be able to use drones. Meanwhile, a senior researcher at the time suggested starting a business using my skills. It seemed like a good idea to make my first start in the wasteland of flying robots.

“In 2011, I founded 'BYROBOT,’ which develops and manufactures educational drones.”



What is the difference between commercial and educational drones?

“Firstly, there are differences in size and weight. Currently, there are about 30 types of educational drones, and with technological advancements, lighter and smaller ultra-small drones are under development. The development stage varies depending on what functions are installed in the drone and for what purpose. What is clear is that technology is becoming more sophisticated.”


Where are educational drones mainly used?

"The drones we produce are used for educational purposes in more than 150 schools and public institutions, including Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, Seoul Student Education Center, Jeonnam Office of Education, and Jeju Office of Education, as well as overseas such as Mongolia and Vietnam."


Please explain the drone development process.

“First of all, the purpose the drone will be used for is important. Only once you have determined its use, the planning and design stage begins. Even the smallest details matter, from whether it is for educational or industrial use to the number of propellers, motors, and batteries, location of accessories, materials, etc. Usually, places that need drones often request development from companies like ours. Based on the request, we apply software design and a drone control program to produce it. Once the beta version is created, we carry out several rounds of simulations before completion.”


How long does production usually take?

“It takes about six months on average from the first planning stage to completion.

"Usually, it takes one to two months in the molding stage to create the exterior of a drone, but since it is made based on requests rather than pictures of an existing product, a lot of time is spent in the molding stage.”


 


Are there any standards for a good drone?

“The goal of developers like us is to develop drones that are lighter, more durable, and better equipped with various functions. Among the products we have created is a drone with a diameter of 4cm and a weight of 20g, and our goal is to develop a drone that is even more compact than the current product.”


What preparation is needed to become a drone developer?

“Drone developer is a job that requires expertise in two areas: aviation and computer programming. To build aviation-related knowledge, those majoring in fields such as unmanned aerial vehicles, aeronautics, mechanical engineering, or special equipment, or those majoring in software, have a low barrier to entry. Recently, departments that specialize in drones have been emerging. It is also helpful to obtain drone-related qualifications such as an ultra-light aircraft pilot certificate, drone mechanic certificate, and certificate for four types of unmanned powered flight devices.”


What professional qualifications are required?

“Because this job is a development job, creativity is the base requirement. It would be even better if you have logical thinking skills and 3-dimensional spatial perception skills. Additionally, there is a lot of collaboration with other involved fields, such as power plants, cameras, and design.

“You must have communication skills to communicate well with experts in different fields.”


What are the pros and cons of the job?

“First of all, developing drones is unique and offers many new challenges. It is a job that one can be proud of, as one is responsible for creating new areas previously unaccomplished by humans. For example, I challenged the Guinness Book of World Records by flying 926 mini-drones simultaneously a few years ago.

The downside is that since it is a job that involves researching uncharted areas, there are no limitations to the work.

“If you are immersed in work, the number of days you leave the office may decrease. (Laughs)”



What is the salary level of a drone developer?

“It may vary from company to company, but I understand that the annual salary for new employees is over 50 to 60 million won. The reason this job has a high salary is because there are not many experts compared to the demand, so new developers are at a premium.

“It is a job with ample growth potential in terms of vision, so the salary will probably rise further.”


If you only research drones, you must develop occupational diseases.

“In the past, when I was making industrial drones, the drone noise was so loud that I even developed tinnitus. And since I always study differences of 1 to 2 g (the weight of the drone), I think it's an occupational disease that I can sense the weight of an object just by looking at it. (Laughs)”


As time goes by, the speed of drone development is accelerating. What fields do you think drones will cover in the near future?

“Currently, the drone delivery business is in full swing. Our company is also planning a logistics delivery drone. Furthermore, we believe that the proportion of industries using drones, such as AI self-driving drones and drone taxis, will increase in the future.”


What is the vision of drone developers?

“Drones are one of the keywords of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Interest and demand in the global market are growing day by day, and the size of the drone market is also expanding. I think that in the near future, we will be living in a world where we cannot live without drones. On the other hand, there are still not many professional workers such as drone developers in Korea. So, if one takes on the challenge starting now, I think they will likely become a leader in the domestic drone industry.”



Reporter Kang Hong-min: khm@hankyung.com
Source: Magazine Hankyung 

https://magazine.hankyung.com/business/article/202308314660b




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