...........................................................................................................................................................
Drones
How Drones Work
BY NATHAN CHANDLER
In
this brave new digital world, the word "drone" has taken on some
seriously ominous overtones. Mass media portrays drones as cold-blooded
mechanizations silently soaring the skies in search of unsuspecting human
targets. The general public sees surveillance drones as creepy reminders that
someone, somewhere is watching every little thing you do. Drones are indeed
powerful weapons and spy tools. But they're also much more.
Although
"drone" is the most common term, these flying machines are also often
called UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Although government
and military agencies were among the first to explore drones for their warfare
capabilities, these winged devices are now also marketed to kids, teenagers, RC
plane hobbyists, photographers, videographers, farmers and just about anyone
who can benefit from a viewpoint in the skies around them.
Military-grade
drones may fit in a backpack, or they may be nearly as big as a full-size plane
and loaded with death-dealing armaments. These drones can cost tens of millions
of dollars and have wingspans of more than 100 feet (30 meters).
Although
military drones are promoted to the public as bloodless and precise types of
war machines, they can be disturbingly deadly. The Bureau of Investigative
Journalism estimates that in Pakistan alone,
the United States executed more than 400 drone attacks that killed as many as
4,000 people, of which perhaps 1,000 were civilians and 200 were children.
Consumer
and commercial drones offer a happier spin on automated flight. They may
actually fit in your palm and run you less than $100. Sturdier, more advanced
models can cost thousands and scream high into the sky (and possibly onto local
radar), which may very well land you in trouble with the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA).
Small
drones operated by commercial enterprises are growing in number. Those
businesses will benefit in amazing and as-of-yet unforeseen ways, using drones
to boost revenue and help economies all over the globe.
Fire
departments, police units and disaster responders all use drones to some
degree, assessing harrowing situations, finding missing people and helping
fellow humans. Drones are handy for construction, mapping, wildlife
conservation, pipeline inspection and much more.
Drones
are also just plain fun. We humans can't sprout wings and fly, but we can do a
little vicarious living through our winged friends, lofting cameras for amazing
images or just zooming around the heavens for the joy of it.
The
Drone Backstory
There
was no history-rattling moment when the first drone went airborne. That's in
large part because it's a matter of semantics when trying to determine exactly
which historical device qualified as a drone. Was it one of the explosives-laden
balloons used in the 1800s? Was it the initial V-1 rockets that the Germans
deployed during WWII?
In the
early 1900s, military groups used drones, including radio-controlled versions,
for target practice. Engineers also developed unmanned aircraft loaded with
munitions. These weren't really drones. They were the first cruise missiles, sometimes called flying
torpedoes, and not meant to return to base.
During
the Cold War, the U.S. ramped up research on drones,
hoping to use them as substitutes for manned spy planes. As the Vietnam War
dragged on, drones flew thousands of high-risk reconnaissance missions and were
destroyed by enemy fire, but in the process saved the lives of pilots who
otherwise would have perished.
At
about the same time, engineers began equipping drones with real-time
surveillance capabilities. With their onboard cameras and unlimited courage,
drones could approach enemy lines and document troop movements and strategies
without risking human lives.
In
2002, the CIA first used a Predator drone to kill an enemy combatant in
Afghanistan. The Predator (more precisely, the MQ-1 Predator), with its spine-chilling
name, was one of the first military drones to see widespread action. It was
unveiled in 1995 and has since zoomed all over the world — but it's used mostly
in the Middle East. It can fly more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) on single
mission and circle targets for hours; armed versions can fire sophisticated
missiles.
The
Predator is one of the best-known military drones, but now it's just one of
many. Those first strikes in Afghanistan were, as they say, just the beginning.
More
Military Might
As the
digital revolution has unfolded with its tiny microprocessors and long-distance
communications abilities, drones have become more and more useful for military
operations. By one estimate, the U.S. military has roughly 11,000 manned
airplanes and perhaps 8,000 drones, meaning that a third of the air force is
unmanned. For anyone who feared the coming age of automated, sci-fi-type
warfare ... well, those days are already here.
The
U.S. military has three categories for drones: mini, tactical and strategic.
Mini drones are small and mostly used for short-range surveillance. Tactical
drones can fly for several hours and as far as 200 miles (322 kilometers) and
are used to assess enemy targets. Strategic drones can fly for days and carry
weapons.
Some
drones use battery power to turn propellers. Newer and
pricier versions have full-blown jet engines and can fly more than 500 miles
(805 kilometers) per hour, soaring to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) or even
higher.
Some
drones are autonomous, following preprogrammed routines. Many others require
pilots. Those pilots may be on the ground near the operation, or they may sit
in control rooms, thousands of miles away, guiding their minions by high-speed
wireless networking links.
In
part because there's a delay of a couple of seconds from the control room to
the drone, crashes do happen. Sometimes pilots push the wrong buttons.
Sometimes they misread the flight data they see on their workstation monitors;
cameras on the drones simply aren't a substitute for a pilot's real vision and
other senses. More than 400 large drones have crashed since 2001, but many
disasters have been averted, too. If a communications link is cut, advanced
drones are programmed to fly in circles or even to return to the nearest base
without human guidance.
Like
air traffic controllers, drone pilots have high-stress yet often dull and
repetitive jobs, mostly surveilling areas for intelligence and potential
targets. Because of burnout, they quit three times as often as regular pilots,
and the U.S. military recently doubled drone pilot salaries to stop them from
running for the exits.
Those
who stay receive extensive training in a traditional classroom setting, as well
as hands-on training at their computers. They execute endless practice runs and
then review their in-flight decisions, attempting to hone their minds to select
the best approach to any given scenario, particularly those that involve the
use of deadly force.
When
they score an important victory, these pilots receive medals just like any
others, and in spite of the geographical disconnect from their targets, many
suffer emotional trauma from the damage their strikes cause.
Not
all drones inflict suffering and mayhem. There is an entire range of drones for
commercial and private use.
Drones
in Your Homes
In
many places, including the U.S., civilian and commercial drone use is severely
restricted by aviation administration regulations, primarily in the name of
safety. That does not, however, stop thousands of people from using drones for
a plethora of purposes, including videography, sheep herding, product delivery
and crop surveying.
If you
perform a quick search through your favorite online megastore you'll see that
dozens of drones are available. Some are less than $100. Other costs thousands.
There are two broad drone categories: fixed wing and rotary. Each type has its
strengths and weaknesses.
Fixed-wing
drones can be hand-launched, but often they require a runway or even an
unwieldy catapult. But they're generally faster and can
fly much longer than their rotary brethren.
One
option is the eBee senseFly, a fixed-wing drone designed specifically for
mapping purposes. Toss it into the air and it follows a preprogrammed route,
snapping high-resolution images that are then integrated into maps and 3-D models. It can cover more than
4 square miles (10.4 square kilometers) on a single flight. Farmers are the
primary customers, as they can use the drone to optimize their agricultural
practices and increase their yields. The eBee retails for more than $10,000.
The Agribotix
Hornet LR is another fixed-wing drone, and like the eBee, it's intended largely
for agricultural use. It has a 6.4-foot (2-meter) wingspan and a cruising speed
of more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour. It can fly for nearly an hour
and a half before it must descend for recharging. Rather than only offering
purchase options, Agribotix leases units to customers for less than $2,000.
Fixed-wing
drones are just a teensy sliver of the commercial and hobbyist drone market.
The
Most Common UAVs
Fixed-wing
drones are fast and fly far, but rotary models are much more common, in part
because they're easier to fly and more stable for purposes like photography. If
you want a rotary drone, you'll have dozens of options from which to choose.
On the
cheap side, for instance, there's the Hubsan Mini RTF quadcopter, which sells
for less than $60. It's so tiny that it will fit in the palm of your hand.
After a 40-minute charging session, you'll get about seven minutes of flight
time during which you can make the drone do four-way flips and other stunts.
You can also capture pictures on a miniscule 0.3-megapixel camera.
The
Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition is a quadcopter that sells for around $400
online. This drone features upgraded batteries that offer about 36 minutes of
flight time. It comes with a free flight control app that you can load to your
WiFi-enabled device, such as a tablet or smartphone, letting you control the drone to
range of 165 feet (50 meters). It also has a 720p HD video camera that streams
video live to your device, giving you a bird's-eye view literally on the fly.
One of
the better-known drone manufacturers is DJI, which makes the DJ Phantom series.
These drones aren't just for fun — they're intended to give blossoming
cinematographers a way to catch amazing high angles without the need for more
expensive gear. Some models come with GoPro camera mounts, while others are
equipped with onboard cameras of their own.
The
FC40 Phantom 2 Vision+ quadcopter weighs in at just under $1,000. It can fly to
more than 2,600 feet (792 meters), with a flight time of roughly 25 minutes. A
controller helps you manage the drone's flight, while the app that you load on
your phone or tablet manipulates the video and camera capabilities.
With
all of these flying contraptions zipping around, it's hard to deny that they
seem awfully reminiscent of regular old remote-control helicopters and planes. So what's the
difference between those traditional radio-controlled machines and new-age
drones?
It has
a lot to do with automation and advanced digital features. Whereas traditional
remote-controlled devices require constant attention, drones can do amazing
things on their own. Program in a GPS location, for example, and a drone can
automatically fly itself to that point and then hold its position. Or you can
run a so-called "follow me" mode, and the drone will follow you
around, tracking you by sensing the signals from your phone.
Modern
drones are equipped with a whole slate of similar fun and useful features. Of
course, none of those capabilities are worth much if the thing can't get off of
the ground.
Aerial
Acrobatics
Even
casual observers realize one striking thing about drones — they often have four
propellers (but can have anywhere from three to eight) unlike traditional RC
helicopters, which have only one main rotor. Drones need extra rotors because
they need more stability to pull off their automated functions.
More
rotors also means more lift. Lift, of course, is the push that
spinning propellers create beneath a flying machine. The more lift a device
has, the higher and faster it can go, and the more weight it can carry. That
last part is vital for anyone who wants to attach a camera to a drone. Too
little lift means a drone will moan and groan and crash, or maybe never get
airborne at all.
There's
a reason that most consumer drones don't get much more than 15 to 20 minutes of
flight time, and that reason is related to power. Drones need batteries to
power their props. A couple of lightweight rechargeable batteries suffice for a
short amount of time in the air. Adding more (or more powerful) batteries is a
great idea ... until you realize the extra weight they add actually reduces
overall flight time.
As
power flows from the batteries to the rotor motors, the propellers begin to
spin, and it's the spin of each prop relative to the others that changes
altitude and direction. Rev up the rotors and they'll generate enough lift to
overcome the force of gravity, zipping the drone higher and higher.
If you
want the drone to tilt on one side, two of the rotors will begin spinning
faster on one side, creating more lift. In doing so, some of the upward lift
becomes more of a sideways force, causing the drone to move forward or
backwards. In the same manner, different prop speeds will spin the drone.
Obviously,
you don't have to think through these processes as you're flying your drone,
otherwise you'd probably crash it every 10 seconds. Drones are loaded with
accelerometers and gyroscopes that help them maintain their orientation in
space. These instruments detect linear acceleration, tilt and other directional
cues to keep them from dive-bombing the ground or, worse, unsuspecting
bystanders.
Many
drones also have integrated GPS so the machine "knows" where
it is. Command the drone to hover in one small space and it will do so,
fighting a breeze if necessary.
To
input your commands, you need a controller, typically one that uses 2.4
gigahertz radio waves. Many drone controllers look just like RC controllers of
yore; that is, a boxy unit with two thumb joysticks and a collapsible antenna.
Others rely on a combination of 2.4 gigahertz signals and WiFi, and they may
pass on an old-school controller for one that looks more like a gamepad, or
they may rely on a control app on your smartphone or tablet.
The
act of flying consumer drones ranges from pretty easy to fiendishly difficult.
Cheaper drones are budget friendly but may be so difficult to fly (and so
delicate) that they're broken before you can figure out how to make them travel
in a straight line. Pricier drones often have some automatic functions, like
landing assistance, that help simplify some of the harder and riskier portions
of flights, easing you into your new role as pilot.
Drones:
Dystopia or Dream?
Drones
are the stuff of dystopian nightmares. They're used for surveillance at home
and abroad, raising privacy issues everywhere. They can carry weapons and can
kill people from thousands of miles away while the operator sips coffee in a
temperature-controlled office.
Yet
drones are a dream come true for many commercial enterprises. Farmers can
better monitor fields and livestock. Construction engineers can much more
easily see their projects from every angle. Drones can offer new perspectives
on real estate, move cargo and deliver packages.
By one
estimate, drone technology could create more than 100,000 jobs in the next
decade. And they could boost the economy by billions and billions of dollars as
they spill into sectors of engineering, computer science, commercial
contracting, videography, forestry and, of course, the military [source: Whitlock]. All of these disciplines will require
experts in fabricating and flying drones — and commercial drone pilots could
start with an annual salary of $50,000 to more than $100,000, working for
manufacturers, surveyors, law enforcement or any number of other organizations.
Colleges,
such as the University of North Dakota, are increasingly offering degrees for
piloting drones in anticipation of the drone explosion. Students train on
simulators as they build up their flight hours, but in many cases they can't
fly actual drones as part of their coursework. That's because before drones can
truly take flight, they'll have to surmount legal and regulatory hurdles. At
present, the FAA limits what drones can do in American
airspace, even if you're practicing through a college program.
Hobbyists
must keep their machines flying lower than 400 feet (122 meters) and at least 5
miles (8 kilometers) from airports to prevent conflicts with manned
aircraft. In spite of those rules, the FAA has documented dozens of near misses
from people who violate regulations, and any of those instances could have
potentially caused serious damage to an airplane and endangered lived. Those
kinds of problems complicate the government's ability to integrate commercial
drone usage on a larger scale.
Still,
Congress has directed the FAA to find ways to regulate drones, particularly
commercial drones, in ways that will help harness these technologies for the
economy. Because of the large scale of drones' likely impact on our society
(and because we're talking about a federal bureaucracy) you can bet that it
will be a few years before drones really take off commercially across the
country.
In the
meantime, drone technology continues to evolve much more quickly than any
single organization can track. Hobbyist drones are getting cheaper and more capable
by the month, and more and more manned military craft are being replaced by
enormous, powerful and deadly drones that can scour the skies far longer than
any traditional craft.
If you
were waiting for the day of the drones to arrive, realize this — that day has
already come. Drones, for good or bad, will be a part of our culture for many
years to come.
Author's
Note: How Drones Work
Just
like that, the drones are everywhere. I was running down a remote rural path a
few weeks ago when I met a bicyclist heading the opposite direction.
He'd
strapped a controller to his handlebars and was guiding a quadcopter 20 feet (6
meters) above and ahead of him.
I
don't know whether he was recording a video or just flying for fun, but it was
proof that no matter where we go, these small flying machines are with us, too.
Let's hope that in the long run, that's a good thing.
Nathan
Chandler is a freelance writer and
photographer based in Lincoln, Nebraska. He earned his B.A. from the University
of Northern Iowa, and has researched and written about consumer tech for more
than 10 years.
While UAVs
are often associated with surveillance and intrusion, there’s a lot more to
their story that’s not the least bit creepy. Â
A 1934 Lowe
Wilde Drone aircraft painted by the artist William Heath Robinson
Military
UAV pilots get extensive training, but many burn out early on.
Drones are
used in agriculture all the time. This drone is sweeping a winery’s grapes so
the winemaker can assess the maturity of the fruit.
A DJI
Innovations DJI Phantom 2 Vision aerial system drone was demonstrated during a
media preview for International CES 2014.
If you want
to spend an afternoon flying your drone, you’ll need to have fresh batteries at
the ready.
Whether
you’re a drone enthusiast or you fear their hovering presence, it’s a certainty
that you’ll see more of them in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment