# Killer Whale-Monitoring Drones Aerial Drones Are Being Used to Track Killer Whales By Rahul Kalvapalle | Published 2014-10-23 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/killer-whales References: [gizmag](http://www.gizmag.com/vancouver-aquarium-drones-killer-whales/34341/) & [vanaqua.org](http://www.vanaqua.org/) Researchers from the Vancouver Aquarium in Canada and the USA's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are using aerial drones -- custom-built marine hexacopters to be specific -- to keep track of the health of endangered killer whales. The drones track the whales from a distance of 30 meters, far enough to ensure that it doesn't disturb the whales or intrude on their behavior but just close enough to be able to collect detailed photographs -- over 30,000 photographs have already been collected over the course of 60 drone flights. The project is still in its infancy but is already a success -- the drones have spotted killer whale pregnancies that wouldn't have been detected otherwise, and has helped identify unhealthy whales. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.0/10 - Popularity: 41% | Activity: 41% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/robots) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Aerial Drones for Animal Monitoring:** Opportunity for businesses to develop specialized drones for monitoring and tracking the health of endangered animals. - **Remote Wildlife Data Collection:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to create remote data collection systems using drones for wildlife conservation and research. - **Photographic Analysis and AI:** Opportunity for AI-powered systems to analyze large amounts of photographic data collected by drones for valuable insights and research. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Drone Manufacturing:** Drone manufacturers can capitalize on the growing demand for specialized drones designed for wildlife monitoring and conservation. - **Wildlife Conservation:** Wildlife conservation organizations can adopt and implement drone technology to enhance monitoring and data collection efforts. - **Artificial Intelligence:** AI companies can develop advanced algorithms and systems to analyze and interpret photographic data collected by drones for wildlife research purposes. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Flying Aquatic Maintenance Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seaair-integrated-drone.md) - [Natural Environment-Analyzing Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/edrone.md) - [Danger-Embracing Underwater Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dangerembracing-underwater-drones.md) - [Multitasking Underwater Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/multitasking-underwater-drone.md) - [Aquatic Shark-Inspired Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waterborne-drone.md) - [Customized Volcano-Monitoring Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/littleraven.md) - [4K-Enabled Underwater Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/4kenabled-underwater-drone.md) - [Waterproof Self-Flying Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hoverair-aqua-drone.md) - [Water Sampling Drone Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hydro-hawk.md)