Квадрокоптеры

A quadcopter is a multirotor helicopter that is lifted and propelled by four rotors. Quadcopters belong to a class of aerial vehicles known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.  These vehicles can take to the air without pilots.

Essentially, this makes drones flying robots. Encompassing both planes and quadcopters, they have software-controlled flight plans integrated into their systems. These systems work with Global Positioning Technology (GPS) to guide and track their movements.

In the last few decades, small-scale unmanned aerial vehicles have been used for many applications. The need for aircraft with greater maneuverability and hovering ability has led to a rise in quadcopter research. The four-rotor design allows quadcopters to be relatively simple in design yet highly reliable and maneuverable. Research is continuing to increase the abilities of quadcopters by making advances in multi-craft communication, environment exploration, and maneuverability. If these developing qualities can be combined, quadcopters would be capable of advanced autonomous missions that are currently not possible with other vehicles.

1. Why were UAVs constructed?

Military in different countries first used drones for war. The Austrian military first developed these devices for combat purposes. In 1849, the Austrians first attacked Venice, in Italy, with unmanned air balloons filled with explosives.

The US military experimented with these remote-controlled drones and built a variety of aerial torpedoes. They used these craft as target drones during the Cold War. These drones were capable of collecting radio-active data as well.

2. The first quadcopters

Quadcopters were among the first vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs). Engineers developed quadcopters to solve the problems that helicopter pilots had with making vertical flights. The first was the Omnichen 2, invented in 1920 by Etienne Omnichen. This craft made 1000 successful flights and flew a recorded distance of 360 meters (1181.1 feet).

QUADCOPTERS BEST FEATURES

1. Remote-controlled transmitters

Pilots control the quadcopter with the joysticks on a remote-controlled transmitter. A receiver on the quadcopter processes the pilot’s instructions. The pilot’s signals combine with output from the quadcopter’s altitude sensors. The flight controller then signals the Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs), which in turn move the quadcopter’s motors.

2. Different aerodynamics from an airplane

A quadcopter uses different aerodynamics from an airplane for flight.

Newton’s law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The four rotors, two moving clockwise and the other two, counter-clockwise, negate any force or torque on the fuselage. They stabilize movement and function.

QUADCOPTER USES AND APPLICATIONS

1. Ways to use quadcopters

a. Research

University researchers, who work in various fields, use the quadcopter as a research tool. They gather information needed for work on robotics, flight control and real-time systems.

Quadcopters make suitable test platforms, as they are relatively cheaper and smaller. Anyone can fly them, which makes them convenient tools for researchers.

Apart from this, these durable little devices can survive harsh environments. They can go into dangerous places on behalf of researchers. This helps solve many difficulties with cost and logistics.

b. Military, law enforcement and community agencies

Military scientists in different countries invented quadcopters for combat and reconnaissance purposes. They still serve these functions.

Law enforcement agencies use them in search and rescue operations as well. These little aerial vehicles scour inaccessible areas for disaster survivors. Agencies also use them to uncover criminal activity. One of these drones is the Aeryon Scout, developed by Canadian Company Aeryon Labs. It has helped uncover drug trafficking rings in Central America.

c. Delivering food and medicine

Quadcopters, being minute, can reach places humans cannot. In future, community agencies may use them to deliver food and medicine to inaccessible areas where roads are completely cut off. Andreas Raptopoulous, a researcher at Matternet, explained how the quadcopter can transport about 2Kg (4.41 pounds) of medicines to these areas in about 15 minutes. He introduced Matternet, a system of flying vehicles and landing stations, controlled by routing software.

Quadcopters can navigate into ground stations, in safe areas, to deliver food and medicine. The routing software guides the quadcopters through adverse weather. This will help people in hard-to-reach areas recover and progress.

d. Art

Quadcopters have also been used in various art projects including but not limited to drone photography. At least one drone has demonstrated the feasibility of painting graffiti on a wall with spray paint.[59] They may be used in performance art with new degrees of positional control that allows for new uses of puppets, characters, lights and cameras.[60] They have also been used in light shows

e. Conservation

Governments and environmental protection agencies can tap into the aerial imaging capabilities of quadcopters for environmental conservation. Ecologist Lian Pin Koh explained how conservation quadcopters can go over landscapes and capture images on the ground without causing disturbance. Able to capture wildlife habitats in remote areas, conservation quadcopters capture information that tells these agencies if wildlife is under threat. They also drastically decrease conservation costs.

Disadvantages of quadcopter

1. The life span has an average of at least four hours applied by most drones because the batteries designs are smaller that does not to last for more than four hours. Users are reminded of the time whenever they use the drones to record videos or to provide a better way to make updates on their current activities.

2. Vulnerable to Wild Animal Attacks: When flying drones to an area that has a large concentration of wild animals, the device is often considered creatures. Larger flying animals such as eagles are usually the main culprit when as they usually attack or capture drones

CONCLUSION

Drones and quadcopters, with extensive history and capabilities, are the devices of the future. In time to come, humans will find it difficult to imagine life without them.

Квадрокоптер - это многороторный вертолет, который поднимается и приводится в движение четырьмя винтами. Квадрокоптеры относятся к классу летательных аппаратов, известных как беспилотные летательные аппараты. Эти машины могут подняться в воздух без пилотов.

По сути, это делает дронов летающими роботами. Охватывающие как самолеты, так и квадрокоптеры, они имеют программно-управляемые планы полета, интегрированные в их системы. Эти системы работают с технологией глобального позиционирования (GPS), чтобы направлять и отслеживать их движения.