An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guided by a Chinese tourist crashed into the Taipei 101 skyscraper last month, provoking national security concerns.

In fact, there have been numerous reports of drone incidents around the world since last year. Earlier this year, a small drone crashed in a White House garden, spurring calls for tighter regulations of the technology because it could be abused by terrorists.

In April, a drone bearing trace amounts of radioactive cesium was found on the helicopter pad on the roof of the Japanese prime minister’s office.

The use of drones has also been frequently reported in war-plagued Nigeria, Syria and Pakistan.

Thanks to breakthrough technology, drones can take off and land even in highly sensitive areas and could spur the next phase of the logistics revolution.

Notably, all of the UAVs used are made by Shenzhen-based DJI Innovations, which specializes in the development of remote-control quad-copters.

DJI ranked third on the list of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies of 2015 in the consumer electronics field, behind internet giant Google and electric-car manufacturer Tesla.

DJI has also been regarded by some as the only technology company other than Apple that can dictate world trends.

Currently, DJI controls 80% of the global market for civilian drones.

Founded in 2006 by Wang Tao shortly after he graduated from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with the support of a research team from the university, DJI is the worldwide leader in UAV flight control systems.

The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to aid in the use of unmanned aerial systems, both professional systems and those used by hobbyists.

Wang was originally keen to set up his first start-up in Hong Kong, but his efforts went nowhere partly because of a lack of funding and a lack of government support.

Wang was forced to give up Hong Kong as his first choice for his start-up and later launched DJI in Shenzhen. Today, Shenzhen is not only the home of DJI but also a hub for many other key technology businesses because it hosts several individual supply chains specific to producers there.

In 2010, however, the university of Hong Kong invested HK$2 million (US$258,000) in the company, showing the close relations between the two parties.

It is also hoped Taiwan can create innovative start-ups like DJI by offering financial support and relaxing regulations governing the enrollment of its own students as well as Chinese students in Taiwan’s universities to allow them to innovate and contribute to Taiwan’s economy after graduation.