LONG BEACH – The real estate industry is getting into drones in a big way, and not just for luxury homes, industry professionals attending the California Association of Realtors conference said Tuesday. “Drones already are part of our world,” said Pasadena agent Steve Clark. “If you’re not hiring a drone operator that is top notch, then you’re losing and more importantly, your client is losing.” There are aerial videos and still photos that you can’t get any other way, said C

The thinking: Spend billions of dollars, save even more. The $8.5 trillion global construction industry isn’t exactly known for its efficiency. The U.K. Green Building Council estimates that 15% of materials delivered to construction sites end up in landfills, the result of mismanaged scheduling and purchasing. The American Institute of Architects believes building-related waste makes up anywhere from 25% to 40% of America’s solid-waste stream. With construction spending in t

Bay Area techies aren’t the only ones experimenting with drones and robots. Farmers just a few hours away have begun using the machines to spray crops with pesticides, gather data, track crop health and find water leaks on their land. These early adopters are among a growing class of farmers who are using emerging robotics technologies in what some researchers believe will balloon from a $3 billion segment of the agriculture industry to a $10 billion market over the next six