RPAs (Remotely Piloted Aircraft, commonly referred to as "drones") continue to fascinate us.  

Our latest ideas for these involve efficiency as well as safety.  

RPAs exist today that can easily handle payloads of 20 - 30 pounds and are quite small in size.

What if you used these to deliver tools and parts to difficult maintenance positions?  Then the maintenance personnel can concentrate on safely climbing to these locations without worrying about carrying tools, parts and so forth as well.

The flying routes from maintenance stores can be pre-programmed and saved for use at any time.

How many times do maintenance personnel reach the place where the work is to be done, only to find out they did not bring everything they need?  Or how many times do you see a maintenance person climbing a ladder laden down with loads that can slip and fall or in which they can become tangled?

Stack and overhead crane maintenance come to mind.

And overhead cranes lead us to thinking about the bus bars that power these cranes.  We read just this past week that RPAs have been developed that can perch on a high voltage power line for recharging, never having to come back to a base station.  What can we do with that concept in our mills?