In the course of recent years, drones have become amazingly famous. You may have seen them on the web, or even at the market. A drone is an aircraft or flying device which does not have a human pilot onboard. Officially named UAV, a drone can be flown autonomously by on-board computers or via remote control by a human pilot. Despite the fact that drones have their starting points in the military, the utilization of such in business, recreational, horticultural, and different applications is growing, according to 2015 figures, there are currently more drones.
History of Drones
UAVs have been around for a considerable length of time and were exclusively utilized for military purposes. The most punctual recorded utilization of a UAV goes back to 1849 when the Austrians assaulted the Italian city of Venice using unmanned balloons inflatables that were stacked with explosives. Although balloons would not be considered a UAV today, this was a technology the Austrians had been developing for months before, which led to further advancements. In 1915, British military used aerial photography to their advantage in the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. They were able to capture more than 1,500 sky view maps of the German trench fortifications in the region.
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The United States began developing UAV technology during the First World War in 1916 and created the first pilotless aircraft. Shortly after, the U.S Army built the Kettering Bug. While continuing to develop UAV technology, in 1930 the U.S Navy began experimenting. It was the first massed produced UAV product in the U.S and was a forward leap in manufacturing and supply drones for the military.
In 1990 miniature and micro-UAVs were introduced. Although many of the most notable drone flights have been for military purposes, is proceeding to progress and get more consideration.
In 2014, Amazon proposed using UAVs to deliver packages to customers and some real-estate companies are using drones to shoot promotional videos. The uses of drones will continue to grow in many industries worldwide.
Uses of Drones
Remote Sensing
Drones can carry sensing equipment to assist with any number of functions. Geological surveying, agriculture, archeology, and several other industries can benefit greatly from the myriad of sensors that can be packed into a drone. Here are just a few examples of how the agricultural industry, for example, uses aerial sensors:
- Drones can use lidar to measure the height of crops. Heat sensors detect the temperature of livestock, the presence of water, water temperature, and for surveillance and emergency response (if someone is injured in a remote field away from heavy equipment).
- Multi-spectral instruments can count plants (crop density), check the health of plants, and even assess water quality.
- Visual spectrum sensors make it possible to survey and map land.
- Biological sensors can be used to take air quality readings and check for the presence of specific micro-organisms or organic compounds.
Commercial Aerial Surveillance
When you hear surveillance, chances are good that you think about security cameras designed to catch lawbreakers. Or possibly spying and monitoring of your personal movements and actions. Here are just a few ways that aerial surveillance can be helpful:
- Farmers use drones to monitor livestock on vast spreads of land.
- Fire departments can use drones to track and map wild fires.
- Private companies can use drones to monitor their infrastructure such as pipelines, buildings, and so on.
- Using drones to inspect power lines, towers, tall structures like chimneys and roofs would save businesses vast amounts of money and would reduce liability exposure from having humans in harm’s way.
Commercial and Motion Picture Filmmaking
In 2014, the Motion Picture Association, backed by seven companies, petitioned the FAA to allow the use of drones in video and filmmaking. Drones dramatically reduce the cost associated with gathering action or aerial footage that up until now would require expensive equipment like booms and dollies or even helicopters or other manned aircraft.
In September of 2014, the FAA issued permits to six film studios for the use of drones in filmmaking. Drones are also being used to gather footage in sporting events because of their ability to maneuver into locations that cable-suspended cameras cannot reach. Most recently, drones were used to gather footage of the skiing and snowboarding events in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration
With the help of specific electromagnetic sensors, drones can be used to gather geological information to help geophysicists identify and better approximate the location and presence of minerals, oil, and natural gas.
Disaster Relief
The milieu of sensors that can be packed into a drone can be used to help locate and save life in the midst of natural disasters. Drones can be used to gather and deliver medical samples, supplies, and medicine to remote or otherwise unreachable areas in a disaster zone. Drones can also use infrared sensors to detect humans by their heat signature which is helpful in search and rescue scenarios.
Real Estate and Construction
Drones have made it possible to survey land and gather information at job sites. Realtors, developers, and builders have also begun using drones to gather video and imagery for home and building inspections and marketing materials to assist the selling process.
Military Purposes
Military usage of drones has become the primary use in today's world. Used as target decoys, for combat missions, research and development, and for supervision, drones have been part and parcel of the military forces worldwide.
According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs, military spending will remain the main driver of drone spending in the coming years. Goldman estimates that global militaries will spend $70 billion on drones by 2020, and these drones will play a vital role in the resolution of future conflicts and in the replacement of the human pilot.
Future Drone Technology
Drone technology is constantly evolving, so future drone tech is currently undergoing groundbreaking progressive improvement. According to AirDroneCraze.com, drone technology has seven potential generations, and the majority of current technology sits in the fifth and sixth generations. Here is the breakdown of the technology generations:
- Generation 1: Basic remote-control aircraft of all forms.
- Generation 2: Static design, fixed camera mount, video recording and still photos, manual piloting control.
- Generation 3: Static design, two-axis gimbals, HD video, basic safety models, assisted piloting.
- Generation 4: Transformative designs, 3-axis gimbals, 1080P HD video or higher-value instrumentation, improved safety modes, autopilot modes.
- Generation 5: Transformative designs, 360° gimbals, 4K video or higher-value instrumentation, intelligent piloting modes.
- Generation 6: Commercial suitability, safety and regulatory standards-based design, platform and payload adaptability, automated safety modes, intelligent piloting models and full autonomy, airspace awareness.
- Generation 7: Complete commercial suitability, fully compliant safety and regulatory standards-based design, platform and payload interchangeability, automated safety modes, enhanced intelligent piloting models and full autonomy, full airspace awareness, auto action (takeoff, land, and mission execution).
The next generation of drones, Generation 7, is already underway, as 3DRobotics announced the world's first all-in-one smart drone called ‘Solo’. Smart drones with built-in safeguards and compliance tech, smart accurate sensors, and self-monitoring are the next big revolution in drone technology that would provide new opportunities in transport, military, logistics, and commercial sectors.
As these technologies continue to evolve and grow, drones will become safer and more dependable. This would allow for their subsequent mass adoption, provided the strict USFAA legislation surrounding drone technology and usage is loosened to some degree.
Conclusion
In the end, drones are one of the most important things that we need in various fields like commercial aerial surveillance, commercial and motion picture filmmaking, military purposes and so on. Because of its high-quality techniques, it has an adequate size that enables it to enter the narrowest places. In my opinion, there is a lot of money pumped into the field of drones, which will help it to develop more than now and will expand greatly to include many jobs in the future.
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