Drones are aircraft that fly without people on board, but are controlled from the ground. Therefore, they are referred not to air equipment, but to robots controlled remotely. They took to the air in the fifties of the last century, their main goal was photo reconnaissance and distraction of the enemy.
At present, drones are not only military equipment. It also has peaceful uses in many areas. But let's talk about everything in order.
History of development
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 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 to a new industry in military equipment - cruise missiles.
In the Soviet Union developed their achievements. Known apparatus TB-3, consisting of the Red Army, which was later converted into unmanned aerial vehicles. In the sixties, the La-17P and Tu-123 models, which carried out reconnaissance, were known. Speed in 1963 at an aircraft developed up to 885 kilometers per hour. La-17R had its own route, but also control of the drone could be carried out from the ground. At the same time, the Yasreb (Tu-123) supersonic unmanned aerial vehicle, which was operated until 1972, was also designed.
After the collapse of the country, all the acquired positions in this area were lost. They received neither attention nor funding. Only in recent years has money again been allocated for their production. We will expect when, finally, new drones of Russia appear and bring about a furor in the world.
UAVs in the USA
Then, when the collapse of the USSR, the United States seized the initiative itself. Two decades were not in vain. Already in 2010, about half a thousand soldiers were engaged in the management of drones. By 2012, the number of such devices increased to one third of all the country's military equipment.
Among them stands out a drone with a camera that can be launched from a hand, the so-called Raven, RQ-11 Raven. It has been in service since 2003. The device can be controlled manually or fly on GPS. The maximum speed is ninety-five kilometers per hour, and the height to which he is able to climb is five thousand meters. Military ordered such drones in Australia, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Denmark.
Among the countries producing such aircraft today, in addition to the United States and Russia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Germany are known.
Civic goals
Flying 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 budget.
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 selective plots requiring this. In the UK, air inspections are underway.
However, in addition to photo and video shooting, flying drones are trying to find other peaceful applications.
Commercial goals and social needs
For example, there is the idea of using them as couriers. Given the traffic jams and all kinds of difficulties, it seems that small drones may well serve for such purposes. A well-known startup in one Australian company called Zookal. It is planned in this way to deliver books to customers. In the USA there is also a company planning to deliver within the city limits, the time of which will not exceed thirty minutes.
In addition to commercial purposes, it is planned to use devices for rescue operations and emergency medical care. For example, a project is already known where drones of the future deliver defibrillators to places where there is no way to quickly get there by car. Also, they are going to deliver lifebuoys directly to the water for drowning people.
However, there is still no coherence in the airspace of low altitude. Megacities refuse permission to fly drones on the territory of a big city.
Emerging issues
For the wide distribution of these aircraft, a number of obstacles appear. After all, such drones are compact devices for civilian purposes, and they fly at a low altitude. But the solution to the problem of preventing them from colliding with each other in flight, with people and buildings, is currently missing.
A military drone with a camera is endowed with radars and transmitters, which is why its dimensions are significantly increased. Such devices fly away 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 absolute certainty that the device manager can do this, at least well.
Therefore, for civilian drone flights, it is necessary to develop a whole system for preventing collisions in the city, especially in densely populated areas.
Consider the devices on the example of two models.
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 low-noise motor rotates the propellers at a speed of twenty 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.
The main detail in it can be called a wide-angle camera lens that stores HD video at 720 pixels. Below is another camera, with which the speed of flight is analyzed. The movement is based on the mounted gyroscope and accelerometer.
Also in the model there are ultrasonic sensors and an altimeter that guarantee accurate flight. The device is controlled via a smartphone or tablet.
Phantom 2 Vision +
UAVs have spread in the journalistic environment. So, with their help they filmed large areas and protest movements. Such a survey requires only two people, one of whom will monitor the movement of the aircraft, and the other to directly shoot.
A typical model for these purposes is the Phantom 2 Vision +, which makes a very high-quality picture. The drone is like a helicopter, able to be controlled at a distance of four hundred meters, and its speed can reach fifteen meters per second.
Management, like the previous model, goes through a smartphone or tablet. It has a fourteen-megapixel touch camera, the lens reaches one hundred and ten degrees, there are many settings.
Mini drone
Along with the already almost ordinary drones of a familiar size, miniature devices are being developed. So, at Harvard, RoboBee was assembled, the size of which is no more than a coin. It is very fast and has excellent maneuverability. The device, however, works through wiring, but removing it is probably not so difficult.
Is it worth it to be surprised at the appearance of a whole series of new devices capable of recognizing mini-drones. Naturally, the initiative has already been funded. I wonder what kind of next ingenious commercial offer developers of such innovations will “please” unhappy consumers?