Barriers to the Adoption of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Construction Projects in South Africa

Abstract

At inception, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were mostly used for military purposes; however, in today’s technology-driven world, they are used for many more applications. In construction, UAVs can be used for pre-planning, proper surveying of the given area, checking or inspecting safety, 3D printing, quality monitoring and other related objectives. Even though UAVs’ features and capabilities have been highlighted in various prominent studies, they are not being adopted efficiently in the construction industry, necessitating this study. A quantitative research approach was adopted to achieve the set objective of this study. Data were retrieved using a questionnaire survey distributed to construction professionals randomly in the South African construction industry. The retrieved data were analysed using descriptive and inferential data analysis methods. The findings from the analysis revealed that two significant clusters of barriers to adopting UAVs in the construction industry are related to technicalities and security factors. It was concluded that there is a long way to go in adopting UAVs in the construction industry. This study recommended that construction stakeholders take necessary measures to mitigate the identified barriers. This will assist the industry in improving its efficiency and performance.