The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or drones outside military activities has undergone rapid development over the past decade. We commonly see drones used for photography and videography. In their evolution, drones can also assist in agricultural and logistics sectors.
In Indonesia, as a nation aspiring to maintain its status as an agrarian country, there is a need to develop agricultural and plantation technology to enhance productivity and harvest efficiency. Activities such as spraying, seeding, and plant monitoring can be accomplished by flying drones.
The utilization of drones for logistics and other forms of assistance is crucial, given the high frequency of natural disasters in Indonesia. Furthermore, drones can reach various remote areas that are no longer hindered by challenging terrains on land and water.
Responding to these needs and opportunities, a group of LPDP scholarship alumni, graduates of a British university, established Beehive Drones. This drone system provider aims to harness the power of drones in various conventional fields.
Beehive Drones is a company that provides a system for research-based aircraft. They design an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for drones to execute commands efficiently. Thus, Beehive Drones can create drone systems based on market needs or demands.
"We simply say, 'Please capture parameters from my oil palm plantation of a certain size, along a 70-kilometer stretch.' That's it; we assign the task, and it automatically takes off to perform its duties, returning with the data for us. It's as simple as that," said Albertus Gian Dessaya Adriano, the founder of Beehive Drones.
Interestingly, the initial idea behind founding Beehive Drones also stemmed from the commitment of these three LPDP awardees.
Meeting in the UK and Remembering Service
The UK served as the meeting point for Albertus Gian Dessayes Adriano, Ishak Hilton Pujantoro Tnunay, and Anindita Pradana Suteja, who were all studying there. In 2017, they began contemplating what service they would undertake upon returning to their homeland.
Gian vividly remembers during the LPDP Awardee Departure Preparation (PK) event that, upon returning to Indonesia, he aspired to establish a technology company as a means of contributing to nation-building. Similarly, his two colleagues had promised to return to Indonesia and pursue their respective plans.
However, the Imperial College London graduate in Material Science & Engineering realized that he was not yet capable of building a technology material industry. Gian thought he couldn't compete with established giant competitors.
"If you make solar panels, why not just buy them cheaper in China? The quality might not even be better. Ultimately, even if you want to be patriotic and nationalistic, you still have to bow to economic laws," Gian pragmatically stated in a financial media podcast.
While Gian continued to brainstorm, Hilton, pursuing a doctorate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Manchester, was interested in establishing a research center for robot control systems rather than becoming a lecturer. On the other hand, Anindita Pradana Suteja, with a background in international business, pursued a master's degree in International Business and Management at the University of Manchester.
Eventually, the three of them agreed to combine their respective expertise backgrounds and establish a startup selling control systems for drones.
After conducting market research and winning several competitions, Beehive Drones began production in late 2018 and simultaneously became their field of service, introducing a drone system created by the nation's youth.
Beehive Drones Expanding into Multisectoral Areas
The technology developed by Beehive Drones has so far expanded into various sectors such as agriculture, plantation, logistics, and surveillance.
In agriculture, for instance, drones are not only used for irrigation and capturing images of plantations but are also smarter, capable of assessing health, fertility, and determining the harvest time.
In the surveillance sector, the drone system company registered as PT Aerotek Global Inovasi focuses on areas without electricity poles for CCTV. Drones are typically relied upon for surveillance functions in ports, seas, plantation borders, regional borders, and even national borders.
Beehive Drone also handles the creation of drones for medical supply logistics delivery in remote areas. Certainly, the presence of drones can overcome the geographical obstacles that have been a hindrance to distributing logistics to remote areas.
Currently, Beehive Drones produces drone systems, IoT sensors, surveillance systems, and tracking management systems. Moreover, Beehive Drone's signature swarm drone technology led the team to become national champions, Asia-Pacific representatives, and world finalists in the 2018 Imagine Cup by Microsoft.
However, Beehive Drones also faces challenges in developing unmanned aerial vehicle intelligence systems. One of them is the drone flight regulations in Indonesia that limit several aspects and capabilities of drones. Nevertheless, Gian and his team continue to conduct research and development to create drones that comply with government regulations.