From time to time, we all hear the word drone. This is a term that is tossed around in a random manner these days.
Back in the day, this word was used to refer to an unmanned aircraft that had been preprogrammed with a flight plan.
The aircraft would fly either in circles or in a straight line until the engine ran low on fuel, then it would land.
Recently, the word drone has evolved into a term that includes any unmanned robot that is either remotely controlled or preprogrammed.
This includes robots designed for land, water, and air use.
What is the Most Common Drone?
The most common drone right now would be the aerial one. Either the unmanned aerial vehicle or the remotely piloted aircraft.
Please note that these government agencies use civilian terms and more complex terminology.
Even agencies like the Air Force don’t agree on the same technical lingo.
Remote-Piloted Aircraft
Remote-piloted aircraft, or short RPAs, are operated as the name suggests.
This device is remotely controlled from a remote base station or a short-range remote.
This drone is used in both commercial and military exercises and is similar to a helicopter. They can come with a variety of rotor blades.
Take a look at this list:
- Helirotor: Consists of 1 set of rotor blades
- Dual rotor: Consists of a pair of rotor blades
- Trirotor: Consists of three sets of rotor blades
- Quadrotor: Consists of a set of 4 rotor blades
This list can go all the way up to the Octorotor, which consists of 8 sets of rotor blades.
The octocopter drone is one of the most common out of this group.
What Are Aerial Drones Used for?
When it comes to aerial drones, there are many types of uses. Whether it is being used for commercial or military, the applications are fairly similar.
As time goes by, technology will continue to advance, so the types of drones that come out are endless.
Can you imagine a world where there’s a drone that delivers a fresh cup of tea? Sure, this scenario may be years away, but let’s take a look at the current uses for drones:
Crowd Control Drones
These drones carry non-lethal weapons, such as sound cannons or tear gas. These are used in order to break up crowds that are out of control.
These types of drones are normally used by law enforcement and the military.
Delivery Drones
These types of drones were originally thought of for the military to use in order to deliver care packages to troops.
They have a claw equipped on them in order to hold the packages, and they can drop items gently remotely.
Various shipping companies are starting to use these types of drones for deliveries to minimize dangerous driving conditions and shipping times.
Photography/Videography Drones
These are pretty cool because they are capable of delivering aerial photos and videos.
Normally, before these types of drones surfaced, people would pay big money to have aerial photos/videos from an airplane or a helicopter.
Now that there are commercial drones that are becoming readily available, videographers and photographers of all walks of life are able to take stunning shots, without worrying about breaking their bank account.
How Are Drones Controlled?
You can control some of the drones with an app on your touchscreen computer or tablet.
Other drones can be controlled via a remote control that is similar to the ones designed for a video game console.
Regardless of who you are, drones are fun to fly, and if you get the ones that are capable of taking aerial photos, your friends will be amazed by the pictures and videos you are able to take.
