What
is a Drone? – “Drones” are probably the most advanced equipment in the
field of robotics, aeronautics and electronics. The technical name of drones is
“Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS).
They are aerial vehicles which come in wide varieties of sizes, shapes and
functions, which are controlled either by remote or control systems from the
ground. They are generally used to carry out tasks in which manned flight is
considered to be risky. Drones mostly find use in military services, but are
now days finding use in various civilian operations such as search and rescue,
weather analysis etc. They are known for their “precision” and “stealth”
features. Drones have carried out monumental tasks in preventing
terrorist attacks.
How Drones Work?
A typical unmanned aircraft
is made of light composite materials to reduce weight and increase
maneuverability. This composite material strength allows military drones to cruise at extremely high altitudes.
Drones are equipped with different state of the art technology such as
infra-red cameras (military UAV), GPS and laser (military UAV). Drones can be
controlled by remote control system or a ground cockpit. Drones come in a wide
variety of sizes, with the large drone mostly used for military purposes such
as the Predator drone, other smaller drones which can be launched by hand, to
other unmanned aircraft which require short runways. An unmanned aerial vehicle
system has two parts, the drone itself and the control system.
The nose of the unmanned
aerial vehicle is where all the sensors and navigational systems are present.
The rest of the body is complete innovation since there is no loss for space to
accommodate humans and also light weight. The engineering materials used to
build the drone are highly complex composites which can absorb vibration which
decreases the noise produced.
Radar
Positioning & Return Home
The flight radar displays the
current position and location of the drone in relation to the pilot.
Exceeding the control range
of the remote control will trigger ‘Return-to-Home’, meaning the UAV will
automatically fly back to its takeoff point and land safely.
Gyro
Stabilization, IMU And Flight Controllers
Gyro stabilization technology
is one of the components which gives the drone it’s smooth flight
capabilities. The gyroscope needs to work almost instantly to the forces
moving against the drone. The gyroscope provides essential navigational
information to the central flight controller.
The inertial measurement unit
(IMU) works by detecting the current rate of acceleration using one or
more accelerometers. The IMU detects changes in rotational attributes like
pitch, roll and yaw using one or more gyroscopes. Some IMU include
a magnetometer to assist with calibration against orientation drift.
The Gyroscope is a component
of the IMU and the IMU is an essential component of the drone’s flight
controller. The flight controller is the central brain of the drone.
(What is Gyroscope? - Gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disc in
which the axis of rotation is free to assume any orientation by itself. When
rotating, the orientation of this axis is unaffected by tilting or rotation of
the mounting, according to the conservation of angular momentum. Because
of this, gyroscopes are useful for measuring or maintaining orientation.)
Onscreen
Real-Time Flight Parameters
Keep track of current flight
telemetry and see what your drone sees on your mobile device.
GPS
Ready to Fly Mode Drone Technology
When the compass s is
calibrated, the drone then seeks the location of GPS satellites. When more than
6 are found, it allows the drone to fly in “Ready To Fly” Mode.
Internal
Compass & Failsafe Function
Allows the UAV and remote
control system to know exactly it’s flight location. Calibration of the
Compass is required to set a home point. The home point is the location
where the drone will return to in case of loss of signal between the drone and
the remote control system. This is also known as “fail-safe function”.
FPV
(First Person View) Drone Technology
What FPV means is “First Person View” which
means a video camera is mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle and broadcasts
the live video to the pilot on the ground so the pilot is flying the aircraft
as if he/she was on-board the aircraft instead of looking at the craft from the
pilot’s actual ground position.
FPV allows the unmanned
aircraft to fly much higher and further than you can from the looking at the aircraft
from the ground. FPV control allows for more precise flying around
obstacles especially with unmanned aerial vehicles which can easily fly indoors
and through forests via FPV where you would not be able to see obstacles from a
fixed position.
LED
Flight Indicators
These are found at the front
and the rear of the drone. The front LEDs are for indicating where the nose of
the drone is. The rear LEDs flight indicators light up to show the drones
current flight status when the flight battery is turned on.
UAV
Remote Control System
This is the wireless
communication device using the 5.8 GHz frequency band. The drone and the remote
control system should already be paired when it leaves the factory.
UAV
Remote Control Receiver
The location of the 5.8 GHz
receiver technology link button is under the UAV.
Range
Extender UAV Technology
This is a wireless
communication device which operates
within the 2.4 GHz frequency. It is used to extend the range of
communication between the smartphone or tablet and the drone in an open
unobstructed area. Transmission distance can reach up to 700 meters. Each
range extender has a unique MAC address and network name (SSID).
Some of the latest drones out
of the box can fly using range to a distance of up to 3.1 miles (5km).
Products such as FPV range extenders are very popular which can push the
distance even further.
Applications of the “Drone”
When it was developed, the drone was meant to carry out
surveillance and intelligence operations. Since it had removed the “human
sacrifice” factor, it found further importance in other fields which involved
risking human lives such as, search and rescue, to locate defects in a
structure, to locate bombs. Today, an army which has a fleet of drones is
considered to have the upper hand. If we look at the key uses of drones they
can be listed as follows:
§ To
provide intelligence and tactical support
§ To
check for bombs and dangerous devices on roads and landing areas
§ To
hack into phone lines or computers to gather information
§ To
observe traffic and public behavior
§ To
provide air support
§ To
follow or attack suspicious targets
Future of the Drones:
New applications are coming into picture as the work
efficiency and tolerance capacity of the drones have surpassed all
expectations. The USA and British are the prominent figures in UAV development.
Recently India has also joined the picture by releasing its own drones.
Developments and modifications are constantly being done on
the structure and internal electronics. The new “helicopter drone” released by
the US army carries a 1.8 giga pixel camera to provide clear ground images even
from high altitudes. The sensors carried in the drones are also being made
sharper to provide higher aerial surveillance. Programming software of the
drone is being developed such that the drone can take its own decision in
situations where human error is probable. The USA has constantly been utilizing
their fleet of drones over Pakistan and Afghanistan in the fight against
terrorism.
Drones have always risen
to the occasion whenever they were needed. They are truly an engineering
spectacle, containing the best of mechanical, electronics and software
technology. There just might be a day when today’s generation tells their
grandchildren that aircrafts were manned by human pilots.
Wow gr8
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