Drone Technology
There are three major developments in drone technology –
- Miniaturization,
- Autonomy, and
- Swarms.
1. Miniaturization
The first development, miniaturization, is the most incremental development. As in most areas of robotics, each new generation of drones is a bit smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the previous generation. For instance, new materials and lighter and more efficient batteries create better tradeoffs between the drone and its flight range, maximum altitude, and maximum payload.
The limits of miniaturization are unknown. The smallest commercially available drones are more or less the size of credit cards, but experts indicate that within a few years we can expect drones the size of insects.
Cheaper and smaller drones are also likely to result in the ubiquity of drones. Whereas drones may now still be a rare sight in the sky, it is expected that within a few years, there will be plenty of drones available among the general public. This expectation is based on the rate at which drones are manufactured and sold.
Drones are popular birthday and Christmas presents for teenagers, they are popular among photographers and sportsmen and there is an increase in small companies that offer drones services.
2. Autonomy
A second major development is the further increasing autonomy of drones. Drones are often seen as remote-control aircraft, but there are technologies that enable autonomous operations, in which the remote control by a human operator is partially or completely excluded. Most drones that are commercially available are remotely controlled, but at the same time, they already contain elements of autonomy, mostly software for flight stabilization. More professional drones offer the possibility to pre-program flights. In the near future, more autonomy is expected with regard to determining flight routes, sense and avoid systems for performing evasive maneuvers (e.g., birds, airplanes), adapting to changing weather conditions, and defensive reactions when drones are under attack.
3. Swarms
A third major development is the use of drones in swarms. The increasing autonomy of drones enables the cooperation between drones in so-called swarms. The use of swarms may widen the range, flight duration, and maximum payload for particular applications. For instance, using drones in swarms, one drone may take over a task from another drone with an exhausted battery. In this way, the flight range can be extended beyond the range of the first drone. Drones that fly beyond the reach of control signals or are damaged during their flight can be replaced by other drones. Heavy payloads may in some cases be distributed over several drones, exceeding the payload of only one drone. Swarms of drones may be used as sensor networks. When drones are used to follow several persons, a problem may arise when they split up. When using swarms, each drone may follow an individual instead of having to choose whom to follow. A technological difficulty to overcome concerns the fact that drones in swarms have to communicate with each other besides communication with ground control, which requires many more communication channels.