In this article we will try to present some facts about drones, starting from meaning of the word drone, through materials, forms, sizes, range and endurance to a specific purposes, that it is used for. We will also present some interesting facts about some unusual use of drones.
In almost every language, most of the words have more than one meaning. Different historical, political, economic, social and other circumstances affect the emergence of the new meanings of one word. This process involved the word drone as well. From the old English period until 1946, this word had only one meaning, and that was “male bee”. After the World War II in 1946, for the first time, the word drone was used to name an unmanned aerial vehicle. With this additional meaning drone spread in every country, every language, and every corner, where it could fly.
Drones are designed with capabilities to fly without a pilot. Sensors and navigational systems are places in the nose of the craft. An unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are made of light materials, in order to reduce weight. Reduced weight have increased height of flight, as well as maneuverability. Drone’s movements can be controlled by remote unit or by a ground computer system. When we are speaking about equipment, drones can be equipped with cameras, infra-red cameras, GPS, weapon, laser and many other stuff. For example, students from TU Delft equipped drone with medical supplies, camera, and a speaker, so the drone can save a person’s life.
According to a drone size, it can be classified as Micro or Nano, Mini, Small, Medium and Large UAV. The small drones come with dimensions ranging from the size of a large insect to 30-50 cm long. The insect-like UAVs are a popular micro design. Drones can be extremely small in size and used for spying and biological warfare. Insect-size drones can be used to search for earthquake and other disaster victims. On the other side, drones can be very large. Those large ones are mostly used for military purposes such as the Predator drone. There is a drone big enough to carry a person. This is the electric-powered drone that can be fully charged in two hours. It can carry up to 220 pounds and fly for 23 minutes. According to the DailyMail article published a few months ago, this summer a new prototype drone is expected to be launched. Success of this drone could soon lead to a full scale version, capable of carrying up to 200,000 pounds of cargo and fly at an altitude of approximately 20,000 feet.
Similar to planes and helicopters, the choice between flapping, rotary or fixed wings is a matter of desired maneuverability and landing surface. Flapping wing-based designs allow perching and landing on small surfaces. Designs based on the fixed-wing model can be hand-launched by throwing them in the air, or they need a short runways.
According to range and endurance there are: very low cost close range drones with camera, which have a range of 5 km and endurance time of 20 to 45 minutes, close range drone, which have a range of 50 km and endurance time of 1 to 6 hours, short range drones, which have a range of 150 km or longer and endurance times of 8 to 12 hours, mid-range drones, which have a range of 650 km, and endurance drones, which have a range of 300 km, 36 working hours and reach the altitudes of 30,000 feet.
According to number of propellers drones are classified in: single rotor, tricopter, quadcopter, hexacopter and octocopter. There are drones with fixed wing and the bottom line wing. Most of the designs of drones available in market are quadcopters because they are able to lift huge weight.
According to equipment there are drones with camera, FPV, GPS and stabilizers. Action camera lovers use drones equipped with camera to capture classic shots at tough locations. First Person Viewing (FPV is very common application for drones that are capable to record things like viewers are watching them on real time regime. GPS equipped drones can be sent at any fixed location. They are highly stable and they come home after completing task. Stabilizers were developed for improving flight capabilities of drones.
Drones can be used in different ways. Most of them are usually used for reconnaissance and surveillance tasks, some of them for gathering meteorological data, some of them for military purposes, science, film industry, marketing, site surveying, deliveries, imaging structures, precision agriculture, for fun, concert or sport footage, policing, etc. Using high-resolution satellite images, drone photos, and ground surveys, scientists have discovered a hidden monument in the center of Petra, discovered many interesting facts about flora and fauna in areas of untouched nature.
It’s interesting that along with the development of drone technology, goes the development of anti-drone technology. It is known that Disney is using “anti-drone” drones to prevent people from spying on the set of Star Wars Episode VIII. In James Bond movies plenty of drone cinematography was used, as well as in “The Expendables 3”. A supporter of art made by and about drones Mr Slavin once said, that almost everything looks better when it’s shot with a drone. In some areas the use of drones is forbidden. After a tourist controlled drone crashed into one of Yellowstone’s most delicate hot springs all drones are banned from US National Parks. On the contrary, in Guyana tribes people are fighting illegal logging of their land by filming the activity with a drone. They post their videos on YouTube and pass videos to the Guyanese government.
Before drone cameras existed, photographers used kite cameras to capture aerial views, but today the drone manufacturing is one of the fastest growing sector of the aerospace industry. Drones are everywhere. Life Guards use drones over beaches keeping an eye on swimmers, Mountain and Search and Rescue teams (SAR) use drones to find hikers and mountaineers in trouble, disaster regions use drones to get an overall picture of the extent of damage, find people and allocate resources, Police, Fire Crew and Rescue teams use drones with thermal cameras to find missing persons at night or in burning buildings, in tourism drones are used for taking videos to promote national treasure of certain country,city, or hotel. Drones are used in surveying factory buildings and industrial chimneys, in maintenance of road and rail structures, in laying of pipelines, and in various other purposes. In one word, drones can offer the best results in any situation. They are safer, easier, cheaper and faster.
