Drones are aircraft that fly without people on board, but are controlled from the ground. Therefore, they are not classified as aerial equipment, but as remotely controlled robots. They took to the air already in the fifties of the last century, their main purpose was photographic reconnaissance and distraction of the enemy.
Nowadays, drones are not only military equipment. They are also peacefully used in many areas. But let's talk about everything in order.
Development history
The idea of such an aircraft without a pilot belongs to an American engineer from Ohio, who, back in 1910, set out to invent such means for delivering a charge to a target.
The very first launch, which can be called successful, was made in the UK. He solved various problems for ten years, from 1934 to 1943. At the same time, they began to develop similar weapons, which were successfully used and led toa new industry in military technology - cruise missiles.
In the Soviet Union developed their developments. Known apparatus TB-3, which is in service with the Red Army, which was later converted into unmanned vehicles. In the sixties, the La-17R and Tu-123 models were known, which carried out reconnaissance. The speed in 1963 of the aircraft developed up to 885 kilometers per hour. La-17R had its own route, but the drone could also be controlled from the ground. At the same time, the Yastreb (Tu-123) supersonic unmanned vehicle was also designed, which was operated until 1972.
After the collapse of the country, all the accumulated positions in this area were lost. They received neither attention nor funding. Only in recent years, money has been allocated again for their production. Let's wait until new Russian drones finally appear and make a splash in the world.
UAVs in the US
Then, when the collapse of the USSR happened, the US seized the initiative. Two decades have not passed in vain. Already in 2010, about half a thousand soldiers were controlling drones. By 2012, the number of such devices increased to a third of the country's air military equipment.
Among them stands out a drone with a camera that can be launched from the hand, the so-called Raven, RQ-11 Raven. It has been in service since 2003. The device can be controlled manually or fly by GPS. The maximum speed is ninety-five kilometers per hour, and the height to which it is capable of climbing is five thousand meters. Such dronesmilitary ordered from Australia, Italy, Spain, UK and Denmark.
Among the countries producing such aircraft today, in addition to the USA and Russia, the UK, Israel, Germany are known.
Civilian targets
Airable drone is used not only for military purposes. Today, its scope is much wider. Since the size of modern devices has changed significantly, they have become more budgetary.
They are used to control fires, crops, animal migration. They help create maps and keep track of any terrain. For example, farmers can now spray not the entire crop, but only selected areas that require it. Aerial inspections are underway in the UK.
However, in addition to photography and video shooting, they are trying to find other peaceful uses for flying drones.
Commercial and social purposes
For example, there is an idea of using them as couriers. Given the traffic jams and all sorts of complexities, it seems that small drones can serve such purposes. A startup is known in one Australian company called Zookal. It is planned to deliver books to buyers in this way. There is also a company in the US that plans to deliver within the city limits, the time of which will not exceed thirty minutes.
In addition to commercial purposes, the use of devices for rescue operations and emergency medical care is expected. For example, alreadya project is known where drones of the future deliver defibrillators to places where there is no way to quickly reach by car. They are also going to deliver life buoys directly to the water for drowning people.
However, there is still no consistency in low altitude airspace. Megacities are refusing to allow drone flights in the territory of a big city.
Emerging Issues
There are a number of obstacles to the wide distribution of these aircraft. After all, such drones are compact devices for civilian purposes, and they fly at a low altitude. But there is currently no solution to the problem of preventing them from colliding with each other in flight, with people and buildings.
A military drone with a camera is endowed with radars and transmitters, which is why its size has been significantly increased. Such devices fly far from the city and are completely controlled by the military. But civilians fly low, often in places where there are a lot of people. And there is never one hundred percent certainty that the manager of the apparatus knows how to do it, at least well.
Therefore, for civilian drone flights, it is necessary to develop a whole system of collision avoidance within the city, especially in densely populated areas.
Let's consider devices using two models as an example.
AR. Drone 2.0
Such drones are popular toy models. The device has a metal case, where four propellers and a battery for charging are mounted. The quiet motor rotates the propellers at a speedtwenty-eight and a half thousand revolutions per minute. Thanks to its special moisture protection, it is able to fly even when the weather is bad.
It features a wide-angle camera lens that captures 720p HD video. Below is another camera with which the flight speed is analyzed. The movement is based on the built-in gyroscope and accelerometer.
Also, the model has ultrasonic sensors and an altimeter, which guarantee an accurate flight. The device is controlled via a smartphone or tablet.
Phantom 2 Vision+
Drones have also spread among journalists. So, with their help, they filmed large areas and protest movements. Only two people are required for such a survey, one of which will monitor the movement of the aircraft, and the other will directly shoot.
A typical model for this purpose is the Phantom 2 Vision+, which makes a very high quality picture. The drone is similar to a helicopter, capable of being controlled at a distance of up to four hundred meters, and its speed can reach fifteen meters per second.
Control, like the previous model, goes through a smartphone or tablet. It has a fourteen-megapixel sensor camera, the lens reaches one hundred and ten degrees, there are many settings.
Mini Drone
Along with almost ordinary drones of the usual size, miniature devices are being developed. So, at Harvard they assembled a RoboBee, the size of which is no larger than a coin. Hevery fast and has excellent maneuverability. The device, however, works through wiring, but removing it is probably not so difficult.
Should we then be surprised at the emergence of a whole range of new devices capable of recognizing mini-drones. Naturally, the initiative has already been funded. I wonder what the next ingenious commercial proposal will “delight” the unfortunate consumers of the developers of such innovations?
