Exploring Barriers Hindering the Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Within the South African Construction Industry

The construction industry is essential in the development of the economy of any country. The performance of the built environment must be in a good state to ensure a higher contribution to the country's economy. However, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles being one of the innovative and emerging technologies have barriers that hinder the implementation of this technology within the construction industry. Consequently, this study aimed to identify and explore the barriers hindering the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the construction industry. This study adopted a quantitative approach and evaluated the construction professionals via well-structured questionnaires which were distributed on online platforms. The questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science and Principal Analysis Component, t-test, and a mean score was used to present the data analysis. The results indicate that barriers hindering the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles include potential legal issues, and possible hijacks by criminals, to mention a few. It is believed that this study will assess the barriers to this technology and add to the body of knowledge by highlighting the importance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles within the built environment. In addition, it is believed that this study will recommend ways to improve the adoption rate of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the construction industry.