EMERGING TeCh Chapter 1 Drone Basics I magine being able to soar through the air and see the sights a bird sees in its travels What amazing views would you spy The eye of a hurricane The mouth of a volcano Humans might not have wings but devices called drones can give us a bird’s-eye view of the world Drones are also called unmanned aerial vehi cles UAVs They are aircraft that do not have a pilot or passengers You may also hear drones called uncrewed aerial vehicles or remotely piloted Drones are a great way to see what the world looks like from high above 44
vehicles Up until recently drones were mostly used by the military to complete missions that were too dangerous for a pilot or crew However drones are gaining more popularity with civilians Drones typically fall into one of two categories fixed winged and rotary wing Fixed-wing drones look and function much like airplanes Rotary-wing drones are more like helicopters Drones come in many shapes and sizes Some are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand Others are nearly the size of regular airplanes Most drones are made of lightweight materials to make it easier for them to fly Drones vary in shape size and design However they all have the same basic parts One major part is the frame The frame holds the whole drone together It is usually made from plastic car bon fiber or even wood A drone’s rotors and wings are also very important These keep a drone in the air and help steer it Some other important parts are motors electronic speed controls flight controllers and remote controls Batteries are major parts as well They determine how long a drone can fly Drones are controlled using handheld remote devices or flown from cockpits located somewhere 5 Drones
EMERGING TeCh What’s in a Name Did you know that the word drone actually comes from nature Male bees are called drones These bees have no stingers They don’t gather nectar or pollen and their only role is to mate with the queen bee Drone can also mean a low humming or buzzing sound like the sound a bee makes The use of the word drone for UAVs could have come from either or both of these meanings on the ground A drone’s remote control might resem ble a video game controller It might also look like a smartphone or tablet In many UAVs the controller communicates with the drone through radio waves Many controllers also use Wi-Fi to communicate with drones In some drones a GPS global positioning system chip allows the controller to track the drone’s location The GPS chip also helps the drone stay on course even if it is being blown around by wind Many drones are equipped with extra devices such as cameras In fact one of the most popular uses for drones is to photograph areas that humans cannot safely visit Drones are also often used to take pho tos or videos of fast-paced events such as skiers and snowboarders competing in the Winter Olympics There are many other uses for drones too They are used in agriculture disaster management wildlife monitoring geographic mapping and many other 6
fields Perhaps the biggest user of drones is the military which has been using unmanned aircraft for years A drone captures footage of a BMX rider in action 7 Drones
