A drone is an unmanned aircraft. Drones are more formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or unmanned aircraft systems. Essentially, a drone is a flying robot that can be remotely controlled or fly autonomously using software-controlled flight plans in its embedded systems, which work in conjunction with onboard sensors and a Global Positioning System (GPS).
UAVs were most often associated with the military. They were initially used for anti-aircraft target practice, intelligence gathering and, more controversially, as weapons platforms. For military purposes, drones can be sent on missions deemed too dangerous for human pilots in manned aircraft. Personally owned civilian drones, however, have a range of different professional and recreational uses, including the following:
Drones have two basic functions: flight mode and navigation.
To fly, drones must have a power source, such as a battery or fuel. They also commonly have rotors, propellers or wings and a frame. The frame of a drone is typically made of a lightweight, composite material to reduce weight and increase maneuverability.
Drones with propellers typically have four double-bladed propellers that stem off four arms connected to the frame. They generate lift using motors that rapidly spin the propellers. Drones that use wings, on the other hand, rely on the forward movement of the aircraft to push the wings through the air to generate lift.
Drones require a controller, which lets the operator use remote controls to launch, navigate and land the aircraft -- all while the pilot remains on the ground. The controllers communicate with the drone using radio waves, such as Wi-Fi. Drones also commonly have a camera onboard, which streams what it's seeing to the controller held by the pilot.
Some drones can fly on a set course automatically using a combination of obstacle avoidance sensors and GPS. A common implementation of this is the return to home function on some consumer drones.
Drones have many components, including the following:
Drone features vary based on the intended use. Examples of features include the following:
Navigational systems, such as GPS, are typically housed in the nose of a drone. The GPS on a drone communicates its precise location to the controller. An onboard altimeter can communicate altitude information as well as help keep the drone at a specific altitude if the controller designates one.
Drones can be equipped with sensors, including ultrasonic, laser or lidar distance sensors, time-of-flight sensors, chemical sensors and stabilization and orientation sensors. Visual sensors offer still and video data. Red, green and blue sensors collect standard visual RGB wavelengths, and multispectral sensors collect visible and nonvisible wavelengths, such as infrared and ultraviolet. Accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometers and GPS are also common drone features.
For example, thermal sensors enable surveillance and security applications, such as livestock monitoring and heat-signature detection. Hyperspectral sensors help identify minerals and vegetation, and are ideal for use in crop health, water quality and surface composition.
Some drones use sensors to detect obstacles and avoid collisions. Initially, these sensors were designed to detect objects in front of the drone. Some drones now provide obstacle detection in five directions: front, back, below, above and side to side.
For landing, drones use visual positioning systems with downward-facing cameras and ultrasonic sensors. The ultrasonic sensors determine how close the drone is to the ground.
Drones are classified in several different ways, including by wing type, weight, range, power and activity type.
When classified by wing type, there are the following two main types of drone platforms:
Drones can also be classified according to their weight, as follows:
Classified by range, drones can fit into one of the following categories:
By power type, drones can be classified as follows:
By activity, drones can be classified into several types, which include, but aren't limited to the following:
Many personal drones are available for consumer use. They've become standard Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, offering high-definition video and still camera capabilities. Operators are often beginners who are looking to simply fly them for fun or racing. These drones usually weigh 10 pounds or less, but they can be less than a pound.
Examples of personal drones include the following:
Stronger, more capable drones are also available for use in commercial settings. Insitu, a Boeing company, offers the ScanEagle, a UAV with a 10-foot wingspan that weighs 35 pounds. Insitu also builds the Integrator, an 81-pound aircraft with a 16-foot wingspan. Insitu drones don't take off from runways. Instead, they use VTOL capabilities in the company's launchers and recovery system. Sensors available include electro-optic imagers, mid-wave infrared imagers, infrared markers and laser rangefinders.
In 2018, Boeing announced it had prototyped an unmanned electric VTOL cargo air vehicle capable of transporting up to a 500-pound payload. As of 2024, however, Boeing hasn't announced any updates to its production or sale.
Tethered drones are another option. They're physically tethered to a base station. Tethered systems can solve the power-supply challenge many drones face if the tether provides a direct power supply. For example, the Elistair Safe-T 2 tethered drone station offers 2,200 watts of power and can fly to heights of more than 200 feet, with data transfer rates of up to 200 Mbps.
In addition to Insitu and Elistair, other commercial drone manufacturers include the following:
Nonmilitary drone use has increased over the past decade. Beyond surveillance and delivery applications, UAVs are used for drone journalism, search and rescue, disaster response, asset protection, wildlife monitoring, firefighting, communications relay, healthcare and agriculture.
The integration of drones and internet of things (IoT) technology has created many enterprise applications. Drones working with on-ground IoT sensor networks can help agricultural companies monitor land and crops; energy companies survey power lines and operational equipment; and insurance companies monitor properties for claims and policies.
A 2015 experiment in Austin, Texas, showed one way to combine drones and IoT. A security tech company teamed with a drone startup to hunt for Zigbee beacons to provide an overview of the IoT networks present in residential and business areas of the city. The companies reported that the results were quick and instructive.
From logistics to agriculture to security, unmanned aerial vehicles and IoT are often part of the same discussion. They offer ubiquitous connectivity and interactivity.
Other examples of how drone technology is used include the following:
Drones date back to 1849 Italy, when Venice was fighting for its independence from Austria. Austrian soldiers attacked Venice with hot-air, hydrogen- and helium-filled balloons equipped with bombs.
The first pilotless radio-controlled aircraft was used in World War I. In 1917, the U.S. Army developed the experimental Kettering Bug, an unmanned flying bomb aircraft, which was never used operationally in combat.
The first generally used drone appeared in 1935 as a full-size retooling of the de Havilland DH.82B Queen Bee biplane. It was fitted with a radio and servomechanism-operated controls in the back seat. The plane could be conventionally piloted from the front seat, but generally flew unmanned for artillery gunners in training to shoot.
The term drone dates to this initial use, a play on the Queen Bee nomenclature.
UAV technology continued to be of interest to the military, but it was often unreliable and costly. After concerns about the shooting down of spy planes arose, the military revisited the topic of UAVs. Military drones soon took on roles of dropping leaflets and acting as spying decoys.
In 1982, the Israeli Air Force used UAVs against the Syrian fleet with minimal loss of Israeli forces. The Israeli UAVs acted as decoys, jammed communication and offered real-time video reconnaissance.
Drones have continued to be a mainstay as part of military IoT in the following roles:
Some recent drone milestones include the following:
Rapid adoption of drones over the past decade has sparked privacy, security and safety complaints and concerns. Voyeurs and paparazzi use drones to obtain images of people in their homes and other locations once assumed to be private. Drones are also used in unsafe locations, such as urban areas and near airports.
Growth in commercial and personal drone use has also created the potential for midair collisions and loss of drone control. Specific concerns about drones flying too close to commercial aircraft have prompted calls for regulation. Because of this, some drones contain safety features that stop them from flying above 400 feet or from flying in restricted airspace.
Many countries have established UAV regulations. As drone usage grows in popularity, laws are continually changing. Personal and commercial drone pilots must check the laws of the country and locality in which they are operating the devices.
In China, flying higher than 400 feet requires a drone license from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Drones weighing more than 15 pounds also require a license, and no-fly zones must be adhered to.
In the U.K., the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) restricts drones from flying above 500 feet. Any drone weighing more than a half-pound must be registered with the CAA. The agency has also published its "Dronecode":
Until 2006, it was illegal to fly commercial drones under FAA regulations. Noncommercial flights were permitted below 400 feet only if operators followed Advisory Circular 91-57, Model Aircraft Operating Standards, published in 1981. Changes to the American rules followed the chronology below:
2005. The FAA issued its first guidelines on UAVs.
2006. The FAA issued its first commercial drone permit.
2007. The FAA published a drone operation policy.
2012. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 was released. It included Section 333, which gave the U.S. Secretary of Transportation authority to approve commercial drone use on a case-by-case basis.
2014. Only two companies in the U.S. were allowed to operate commercial drones -- the BP energy corporation and drone maker AeroVironment.
2015. An interim FAA policy governing the use of small drones for certain commercial uses under 200 feet was released. The FAA announced it had approved more than 1,000 applications for commercial drones.
2016. The FAA further relaxed its restrictions. Under its Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Regulation, Part 107, the FAA issued 3,100 drone permits in 2016 alone.
Part 107 places limits on autonomous or semiautonomous drone operations. Among other things, the 2016 FAA mandated the following:
2018. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 was signed on Oct. 5, 2018. It set new conditions for recreational drone use. FAA rules differ for commercial and personal drone use. For example, a Remote Pilot Certificate issued by the FAA is required to fly drones commercially and commercial UAVs must be registered and flown at or under 100 mph. Both recreational and commercial pilots are limited to a maximum height of 400 feet.
2021. The FAA gradually modified Part 107 of the Small UAS Regulation. It changed the Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Over People rule in April 2021 to allow routine operations over people and, in some cases, at night. This change amends the original 2016 rule, which called for daylight-only operations and didn't allow UAVs to operate over anyone not participating in the operation.
Drone use laws vary by state. For example, municipalities in Arizona that have two or more public parks must allow drones in at least one of them. A Minnesota law requires hobbyist drone operators to pay a license fee of $5. Commercial operators must pay a $30 licensing fee to obtain a Commercial Operations License and obtain drone insurance. Depending on the state, personal drone users might need to pass a safety test or obtain a license. For instance, in Massachusetts, all drone users are required to pass the Recreational UAS Safety Test. The FAA developed that test and recommends that all recreational users take it.
Drones 250 grams or over are also required to be registered by the FAA. Any income generated using a drone also requires the user to take the Part 107 certification.
Drone education is expanding. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has long been a training center for the aviation industry. It now offers a Bachelor of Science in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems and a Master of Science in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.
There are several self-study resources available for individuals who want to become certified commercial drone pilots as well.
There are also several available training providers, including commercial and industrial centers and associations as well as universities.
Basic drone training topics might include material surrounding the following:
More advanced topics can include the following:
Other, more specific topics could include the following:
Forecasts for the drone market are aggressive and optimistic, as cited in the following:
Drones and unmanned aircraft will become a component of many businesses and government organizations. The evolution of complementary technologies like fifth-generation wireless (5G), AR and computer vision is expected to drive drone market growth and improve drone communication and intelligence.
As both personal and commercial drone use increases, government agencies will refine their rules and regulations. Drones will also introduce new security vulnerabilities and attack vectors.
Some companies have also begun experimenting with drone-based deliveries. This includes uses for delivering food, mail and medicine.
Expected improvements to drones in the future include increased flight times and range due to battery and power innovations, better AI-based integrations and the creation of smaller and more capable drones and drone technology.
As drones continue to gain popularity in the enterprise, integration with well-constructed enterprise IoT networks will become increasingly important. Learn the components of developing IoT infrastructure in the enterprise.
26 Jul 2024