interesting question
I tend to use too many fragments, and yes, it annoys some people. I also agree that your example is somewhat strange in a non-fiction article. However, in fiction the example has a beat, is perfectly clear, and parses quickly and smoothly.
I think I use fragments because I'm an engineer and a computer programmer. In some programming languages, once you've told the computer a basic instruction, you can add details without repeating the high level instruction over and over. Repetition is bad, and tends to bore programmers and readers.
Converting the reference example into full sentences could be awkward. Either some mix of colons, semi-colons, and hypens, or a lot of added words. Again, for a factual article this is exactly what should be done, but for fast paced fiction, maybe not.
I would be interested in seeing how the example sentence could be rewritten into complete sentences without increasing the length significantly (which is something I'm very bad at.) Sure, you can throw in a bunch of commas, but now you have this long ugly run on list, which in my opinion is harder to parse quickly.
Soon, experts predict, drones will be used to transport air cargo. Assist with search-and-rescue. Perform police surveillance. Inspect oil pipelines and sprawling vineyards.