When asking the question "what is a drone?", many people almost know the answer themselves. These devices are also known as drones and have only recently become widespread. But still it is worth considering them in more detail.
What is a drone?
While equipment can almost always be repaired or replaced, highly skilled and highly specialized human resources are hard to replace. That is why humanity is so zealously moving forward industries, the results of which in the future can make people's work safer. An example is robotics, one of the offspring of which was a special multifunctional apparatus. So what is a drone? Usually this means an unmanned aerial vehicle controlled remotely, but there is a broader understanding of the term. Drones do not necessarily fly, but their common feature is the focus on performing a specific task without human intervention or with minimal human intervention. No wonder UAVs were originally used only by the military.
History of emergence and development
The author of the very idea of remotely controlled devices was thatno wonder Nikola Tesla. In 1899, he demonstrated a steerable vessel he had designed. His ideas were continued in 1910 by a young American, Charles Kettering, who intended to develop an aircraft that would perform work using a clockwork. Unfortunately, it can be said that he failed.
The first UAV is believed to have been developed in the UK for military purposes in 1933. For this, a restored biplane was used, however, of the three devices, only one successfully completed the flight. In the future, the machines were gradually improved, new ways of controlling and monitoring their activities appeared. Research and development continued vigorously during and after World War II. More or less successful results can be called the appearance of the famous "V-1" and "V-2". Similar developments were carried out in the USSR.
Besides purely military purposes, UAVs were also used to train future soldiers. But the arms race did not stand still, and the leading powers continued to develop weapons that could deter the enemy. At some point, the USSR even became the leader in terms of UAV production. However, then the United States took the lead, because in the war with Vietnam the losses of its aircraft were too great - drones came to the rescue.
Despite their original military "nature", UAVs have also found their civilian purpose. In their new capacity, they also received a shorter everyday name - drones, which has become even morecommon than the acronym. By the way, it is directly related to their activities, because in translation from English drone - "bumblebee", or the verb "buzz". The retraining also gave an additional impetus to their development, because civilian radio-controlled drones have a lot of opportunities. But each purpose needs its own characteristics, so robotics still does not stand still. So, it seems that there are no questions left about what a drone is. What are they?
Views
As a rule, drones are distinguished by size and control features. According to the first criterion, there are 4 categories:
- Micro. Devices of this group weigh up to 10 kilograms. They are capable of continuous flight for an hour at an altitude of up to 1 kilometer.
- Mini. 10-50 kilograms, height limit - 3-5 kilometers, flight duration - up to several hours. Lighter devices in this category may still be civilian, then no.
- Average. Weight up to 1 ton, flight duration - 10-12 hours, maximum height - 9-10 kilometers.
- Heavy. Up to a day in flight at an altitude of up to 20 kilometers.
According to the peculiarities of their functioning, the following can be distinguished:
- unmanaged;
- automatic;
- remote controlled.
Typical device
The standard design of the UAV includes a satellite navigation receiver, as well as a gyroscope and an accelerometer. In addition, the device must have a programmable module. For writing algorithmsThe work uses high-level languages: C, C++, Modula-2, Oberon SA or Ada95.
If it is also necessary to save and send some information to the operator, then the design includes a memory module and a transmitter. Any other equipment is added depending on the purpose of use. Controlled drones must also have a command receiver and a telemetry transmitter.
Destination
There are a lot of purposes for which a flying drone can be used. In addition to the already mentioned military purpose, they are engaged in aerial photography, security monitoring. There are a large number of industries that have such devices in their arsenal: agriculture, fishing, forestry, mapping, energy, geology, construction, media, etc. Even now, developers are looking for ways to ensure the delivery of various cargoes using drones, to establish a reliable communication with remote areas while reducing fuel costs and protecting the environment. In a word, manufacturers have quite a lot of problems, since there is already a demand for some functions, but there is no offer in response yet. So the potential is huge.
Photography
It is worth mentioning separately a new hobby that has arisen due to the widespread use of UAVs. It's about shooting from angles that were incredibly difficult to achieve before. A flying drone with a miniature camera allows you to look at familiar sights from a completely different point of view and see them in a new way. And the best shotsregularly participate in special competitions sponsored by influential magazines such as National Geographic.
Multicopters
There is a category of aircraft that are often considered separately due to differences in design. In fact, a quadcopter drone is not so different from conventional UAVs, it only has a larger number of screw systems - in this case, four. It is this design that has become the most popular among civilian drones. However, ensuring the safety of their flights has become a serious problem, since if the battery is suddenly discharged from a height of 0.5-1 kilometers, even a fairly light device can cause injuries to people, so it is recommended not only to take special courses on UAV control, but also to follow special rules.
Interesting examples of UAVs
Among devices that have useful practical applications, there is a place for toys and entertainment. So, a few years ago, a major manufacturer Parrot introduced a drone-drone that acts as a reliable alarm clock. As soon as it was time to wake up, he ran away or flew away from the owner, and it was possible to turn it off only by catching it, which significantly complicated the task of falling asleep again. So such a device can not only be useful, but also entertain, depending on what you have enough imagination.
One Dutch artist, for example, came up with the idea to honor his cat, who died under the wheels of a car, by making an original quadcopter. During his lifetime, the animal bore a name in honor of one of the Wright brothers, and after death, screws were attached to its effigy, and the entire structure was presented to the public at one of the contemporary art exhibitions in 2012. The reaction was mixed, but this event caused a wide public outcry. And if this cat quadcopter drone is probably not the best idea, there's always the option to come up with something of your own.
Accessibility
There are no restrictions on the sale of civilian models, although, of course, it will not be so easy to purchase a combat drone, so those who want to take photos and videos from a height familiar to birds, observe the traffic situation, or use some other then the functions of these devices can exercise it freely. Some enthusiasts prefer to make them with their own hands, especially if they have the appropriate knowledge. Designing a flying drone with a camera is not such a difficult task for craftsmen, in extreme cases it can always be ordered, fortunately, the prices for models are quite affordable - the average cost is around $300. There are also cheaper designs that can literally fit in the human palm.
Opponents
Despite the fact that devices in the drone/drone category have become widespread only recently, there are already many people advocating the restriction or even banning of these devices. They argue their position by the fact that UAVs that have flooded cities not only create unnecessary noise, but can also take photos and videos.through the windows of buildings, thus invading privacy. So far, opponents are showing dissatisfaction mainly in the United States, but there is no serious talk about laws regulating the activities of drones. However, demand creates supply - some manufacturers are already selling devices that determine the presence of aircraft in a certain radius. The sensor distinguishes the device from birds by the nature of the movement and emits a special sound signal, well, what to do with an uninvited "guest" is up to the owner himself.
Producers
If we talk about the category of "combat drone", then the world leader in this area, no doubt, will be Israel. He, of course, is a leading exporter, occupying, according to some estimates, about 40% of the international market. Countries with a large share of the military-industrial complex, such as the United States and Russia, enter into contracts with Israeli agencies to jointly develop devices.
Another major player in the market is Iran. According to experts, the latest developments of local manufacturers are quite capable of competing with Israeli products. The Argentine army can also boast of a sufficient number of models for various purposes.
Prospects for development
The combat future of drones is beyond doubt - they will find use anyway. As for civil devices, the prospects are even more curious. According to open information collected by EU organizations, by 2020 consumer demand for UAVs will be distributed by industry as follows: 45% will fall ongovernment agencies, 25% - firefighters, 13% - agriculture and forestry, 10% will be energy, 6% - survey of the earth's surface and the remaining 1% - communications and broadcasting.
However, many design bureaus are already thinking about how drone delivery can be organized. At the same time, a sufficiently large number of tasks need to be solved: from the problem of sufficient carrying capacity and battery life to the issue of environmentally friendly disposal. But in general, this area of robotics is more than promising.
In Russia
In the Russian Federation, the old developments of the times of the USSR were naturally lost for one reason or another, so in fact this industry had to be mastered anew. In 2009, a contract was signed with an Israeli company for the purchase of UAVs, but later it was decided to develop Russia's drones on its own. The Ministry of Defense allocated 5 billion rubles for this purpose, but the investments did not bring the desired result - the devices simply did not pass the test program.
In 2010, Transas won a tender for research and development to create UAVs, especially since it already had experience in such developments. Further developments regarding the success of developments are, to some extent, classified information. In 2012, it became known about the successful passing of tests by a model called "Orlan-10". After participating in several exercises, the sample received high ratings and good reviews from the military, but this device is only intended for short range, so development is underway in several directions so that Russian drones can also receive strike assignment andsuccessfully guard the borders against possible threats.
In 2014, medium-range UAVs, as well as prototypes of take-off weights from 10 to 20 tons, were to be tested. Also, the public was shown the Iskatel reconnaissance complex, which received a number of comments, but in general was recognized as very promising. It was also reported about the production of the Forpost model at one of the enterprises of the Russian Federation together with Israel.
Despite all the problems, the industry has good potential, but, unfortunately, Russian drones are unlikely to get a "second wind" in the near future in the form of reprofiling into civilian speci alties. There are no large manufacturers of devices for the general population and are not yet expected.
