The Construction Industry (CI) is fundamentally shaped by technology. The adoption of new trends, tools, software and technology will provide an incentive to minimize the problems that arise when using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in construction. UAVs have been used in the construction industry over the past decade for a variety of purposes, including construction progress monitoring and building inspection. Recently, there has been a growing trend of using UAVs with other Digital Technologies (DTs), such as Building Information Modeling (BIM). The integration of these technologies encourages automation and digitization towards better project performance. However, little is known about the application of UAVs in combination with other DTs in the construction industry.
Important elements of this review are the study of all UAV applications related to AEC during the last decade, expanding the understanding of the current state of UAV application in the AEC field. Before reviewing the applications of UAVs, it is necessary to classify the technological elements, such as the hardware and software systems used by a drone, the navigation methods applied and the types of platforms of a UAV. Still, the following review points out the dangers hidden with the use of UAVs in the Construction Sector. Like any technology, the UAV’s has not only positive signs in terms of use. Due to their short appearance in the construction sector, errors are still quite common, but this does not mean that they do not decrease over time. By explaining the above a better development and understanding of the technology currently being implemented in the AEC industry will take place.