The unmanned aerial vehicle/system (UAV/UAS) or drone, has garnered much attention in the last couple years. Primarily it is used by the military but more recently consumer and commercial companies are investigating how to improve their bottom line by using drones. For example, in early April 2015, Amazon was approved by the FAA to test using a drone to deliver products outdoors. Amazon must keep flights at an altitude of no more than 400 feet and no faster than 100 mph. Amazon has been pursuing its goal of sending packages to customers by air, using small, self-piloted aircraft, even as it faces public concern about safety and privacy. The company wants to use drones to deliver packages to its customers over distances of 10 miles or more, which would require drones to travel autonomously while equipped with technology to avoid collisions with other aircraft. But the FAA’s regulations may be inconsequential unless delivery drones can actually get where they're going and back. Commercially available quadcopter drones such as the DJI Phantom 2 can fly only half an hour or so on a day that isn't too windy while carrying less than a pound of payload. One company, Top Flight, offers a hybrid propulsion drone. The units are in development and will carry gasoline-powered generators that charge their onboard batteries in flight. It has six 26-in. rotors and can fly more than two hours at a time in gusts of up to 35 mph, while carrying 5-pound payloads.
The DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ V3.0 Quadcopter with Gimbal-Stabilized 14MP, 1080p Camera + Extra Battery and a 32GB Memory Card and reader
Market research
Recent reports have also indicated that we can expect a large increase in the use of UAVs. IDTechEX forecasts the number, unit value and market value of the global market for three separate categories – personal/ toy drones, other small drones and large drones whether hybrid or pure electric. It estimates the percentage with cameras over the years. Over all categories, the report concludes that the market will grow very rapidly to reach a total figure of $4.5 billion in 2025 and that the benefits reaped by these craft will be a multiple of that in agriculture and many other applications.
IDTechEx says that electric power is optimal for most future UAV needs. Intelligently swarming robot flies and robot bats are among the many examples of new capabilities made possible by electric power in UAVs. The better known category of quadcopters is also covered. To put electric drones in the context of non-electric drones, the report also forecasts size of the non-electric drone market, which is almost entirely military. The figures reveal that a growing percentage of the total market will be electric. Very different functions and applications are predicted including how the technology is changing radically over the coming ten years. Large electric UAVs are expected to be used mainly in military missions and as alternatives to location and communications satellites. They are expected to be broadly in the price range of today's non-electric large UAVs, indeed replacing them in some cases with hybrid electric power trains.
The cost of the components of small UAVs has been dropping sharply partly due to large increases in volumes. However, complexity and sophistication of new models will more than compensate for electric UAVs that will be deployed in the next few years for both civil and military missions in both hybrid and pure electric form. For example, the benefits of near silent operation, in the air and on the ground, with virtually no noise or gaseous emissions are valued in both military and civil applications.
Controlling the air
The size of the drone industry is growing so fast that companies realize that there is a need for traffic control for the unmanned vehicles. NASA, has been researching traffic management needs for drones for more than a decade. Last year NASA formed a collaboration for a drone traffic management system to help create safe and efficient low-altitude operations for unmanned vehicles. Companies like PrecisionHawk and Airware are providing their expertise for cloud-based hardware/software solutions. The companies will work with NASA to test a wide range of UAVs in real-world scenarios.
PrecisionHawk launched a working prototype for a low altitude tracking and avoidance system (LATAS) to serve as a solution for the safe integration of drones into national airspace. This operational tracking system will provide the ability to outfit commercial and hobbyist UAV platforms with the technology to send real-time flight data transmission based on worldwide cellular networks.
Airware offers hardware, software and a cloud service platform for commercial UAVs and is now collaborating with NASA to test a diverse set of aircraft, sensors, and custom software for aircraft spacing, collision avoidance and 4D trajectory modeling. The project will use fixed-wing, multi-rotor, flying-wing, gas-powered, and battery-powered aircraft to best simulate operational scenarios.
So you want to fly
Integral to flying UAVs and needed even before knowing the rules of the air is the most basic requirement of knowing the controls and how to fly your drone safely. It’s still the wild west out there with operators learning by investing in failure. The demand is there and there are businesses that are taking on the challenge of teaching how to fly UAVs. For example, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is adding small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) education to its AMA Flight School online learning center by partnering with Fly Robotics. Fly Robotics will serve as the sUAS online course and regional flight school provider. Additionally, Fly Robotics has provided basic safety and introductory sUAS content for anyone interested in learning more about drones. AMA created a microsite designed to help park directors and others learn about model aircraft flying. The site contains success stories and frequently asked questions about parks and recreation. AMA and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) with the Small UAV Coalition, joined the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and launched the Know Before You Fly safety campaign. It was created to provide prospective users with the information and guidance they need to fly safely and responsibly.
Another helpful article, from Buy the Best Drone, assesses the FAA’s current guidelines based on court decisions, FAA cease-and-desist actions, and more. It provides readers with an understanding of current policy of Know Before You Fly. The site's goal is to help pilots understand what’s okay and what’s not when flying. Find the information at: http://buythebestdrone.com/drone-policy-2015-guide-drone-rules-faa-regulations/ .
The growth of the UAV industry is happening and you can find out more by attending one of the many trade shows on UAVs such as the Umanned Systems show from May 4 to 7, 2015 in Atlanta, GA.
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