At Heskins, we always enjoy discovering unusual applications for anti-slip tape. Most people associate anti-slip materials with stairs, walkways, ramps, vehicles, industrial floors, or marine environments, but the uses can extend far beyond traditional slip prevention.
One of the most interesting applications we have seen recently is in drone technology.
At first, it seemed unusual. Why would an unmanned drone need an anti-slip surface? A drone does not walk across a surface, and it does not require traction in the same way a person, vehicle, or piece of equipment would. However, once we became more involved with drone technology companies, the benefits became clear.
Anti-slip tape can support drones in two important ways: by providing a practical landing surface and by acting as a suitable base for printed QR codes, survey markers, and registration targets.
Anti-Slip Tape and Autonomous Drone Landing Pads
Many modern drones are designed to operate autonomously. They can take off, complete a task, collect data, and return to a specific landing location with little or no human input. For this to work accurately, the drone must be able to identify its landing point from a distance.
This is often achieved using printed QR codes, survey markers, or visual registration targets. The drone scans the printed marker with its camera, confirms the correct location, and uses that information to align itself before landing.
The surface the code is printed on matters. Highly reflective materials can make scanning more difficult, particularly outdoors, where light levels and angles constantly change. Glare, shine, and reflection can interfere with the drone camera’s ability to read the printed code accurately.
Anti-slip tape has a textured surface that naturally helps break up reflection patterns. Instead of light bouncing directly from a smooth, glossy surface, the irregular coating helps diffuse it. This low-reflection characteristic makes anti-slip tape a useful base for printed QR codes and landing markers.
At Heskins, we can print directly onto anti-slip materials, creating durable visual markers that can be read by drone cameras from distance and at speed. This makes the material suitable for autonomous landing pads, identification points, and repeatable positioning systems.
Why the Landing Surface Matters
Once the drone has scanned the QR code or target and identified the correct location, it still needs to land securely. A smooth surface may allow movement after touchdown, especially if the landing pad is exposed to outdoor conditions such as moisture, dust, dirt, or vibration.
By applying Heskins anti-slip tape to the landing pad, drone operators can create a more stable landing surface. For this type of application, non-abrasive anti-slip tape is often preferred. It provides grip and surface stability without the aggressive mineral coating used on heavier-duty anti-slip products.
This helps the drone remain secure once it has landed, reducing unwanted movement until it is collected, recharged, serviced, or redeployed.
Printed Survey Markers, Targets, and QR Codes
Drone applications go far beyond landing pads. Heskins also prints survey markers, registration targets, and QR codes for use in surveying, mapping, inspection, and drone-based data capture.
These printed markers can assist with:
- Drone landing identification
- Photogrammetry reference points
- Surveying registration points
- Asset tracking
- Inspection targets
- Visual alignment
- Repeatable positioning for autonomous systems
For these applications, clarity and durability are essential. A printed marker needs to be easy for the drone camera to detect, while also being tough enough for the environment in which it is used. If the surface is too reflective, too unstable, or too easily damaged, it can affect how reliably the marker is read.
Anti-slip tape offers a practical solution because it combines grip, durability, low reflectivity, and printability. This makes it suitable for producing custom QR codes, targets, and survey markers that can be used in demanding environments.
Resolution and the Accuracy of Drone Data
Drone technology is often associated with high-resolution imagery, mapping, and inspection data. However, high resolution does not automatically mean high accuracy.
A camera can capture a detailed image with a large number of pixels, but that does not guarantee that the data is perfectly reliable. Distance, heat shimmer, atmospheric conditions, light distortion, and refraction can all affect what the camera records. In practical terms, an image may look sharp while still containing positional or measurement inaccuracies.
This is especially relevant for drone surveying, inspection, and registration work. The camera, the environment, the distance from the target, the surface finish, and the quality of the printed marker all contribute to the final result.
A clear QR code, survey target, or registration marker printed onto a low-glare anti-slip surface gives the drone camera a more reliable point of reference. It cannot remove every environmental variable, but it can help reduce avoidable issues caused by reflection, poor contrast, or unstable landing surfaces.
For projects that rely on repeatable positioning, registration, or visual alignment, the physical target still matters. A durable, high-contrast printed marker can help support more consistent drone recognition, especially when the target is being scanned from distance or during movement.
An Unusual Application That Makes Sense
Drone landing pads and printed survey targets may not be the first uses people imagine for anti-slip tape, but they show how versatile the material can be.
The same properties that make anti-slip tape effective underfoot – durability, texture, grip, and low reflectivity – can also make it valuable in advanced technology applications. Whether it is helping an autonomous drone identify a landing point, providing a secure surface for touchdown, or creating printed survey markers and QR codes, Heskins anti-slip materials can support a wide range of drone technology requirements.
So, who knew drones need anti-slip tape?
As it turns out, they often do.
If you have an unusual application for anti-slip tape, printed safety materials, QR codes, survey markers, or custom targets, we would be very interested to hear from you. At Heskins, unusual requirements often lead to some of the most practical and innovative solutions.
