Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Essay Example

Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles By and Introduction Technology has rapidly evolved in the recent past to see rapid development of systems including aircraft that are controlled by use of computers. These forms the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, also defined as Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles, are a category of aircraft controlled with the use of computers and that do not require the presence of a pilot on board to operate (Nonami et al., 2010). The autonomous unmanned equipment with autonomous control is a recent development marked by the advancements achieved in artificial intelligence. The International Civil Aviation Organization defines these drones as Remotely Piloted Aircraft, or an aircraft lacking a human aboard. Control of the craft is achieved remotely by use of autonomous computer system or use of remote controls from a specific place on the surface. Typically launching and recovering these aircraft is achieved by use of automated systems located at some location on the earth’s surface. Initially, operation of the unmanned aerial vehicles relied on remote piloting but more complex autonomous control system are being programed and used instead (Mark, 2012). Traditionally, these facilities were mostly deployed for use in the military operations but their uses have evolved to include other special operations. Such aspects as firefighting, surveillance, civil application and policing among others are the current applications where the drones are being used to promote efficiency and effectiveness. Missions that are dangerous, gloomy or even filthy require the use of these devices as human control could be putting the lives of some people at risk. This paper seeks to evaluate the current applications of unmanned aerial vehicles and their potential future applications. Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles For years, the use of drones has been associated mostly with military application. As a result of advancement in the use of computers, marked with the advancements in engineering, a number of civil aviation applications are now possibly carried out with the help of drones. Such aspects as land surveying, film shooting and photography, air rescue missions, power inspections and wildlife surveillance among others are possibly carried out effectively with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles (Cosic et al., 2013). Professionals such as medical practitioners are currently employing the unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver medics in arrears that could otherwise not be accessible such as flooded areas. Illegal poaching and hunting of wild animals is possibly monitored with the help of this technology. Other prominent applications of these facilities include penetration to areas that could have otherwise been dangerous for human invasion. Border patrol, human rescue missions and other security surveillances are examples of military applications of drones. Disaster Relief The use of drones has gained much impetus in replacing physical human appearance in disaster-prone areas, and other locations perceived dangerous to human invasion (Langelaan and Roy, 2009). Supply of medicines and other vaccines to areas presumed dangerous for human invasion is possible with the use of drones. Another possible application of drones is capturing information from a possibly affected area. It could be an area affected by natural disasters such as floods, or others affected by war. The national intelligence with the help of drones can analyze the situations as they are on the ground for such a disaster affected area with the help of the drones. Saving people from crisis such as fire, which was earlier not possible, can now be easily achieved with the help of drones. Humans saving the lives of others affected in such a crisis can get injured in the process. With the use of drones, however, the crisis can be solved with ease and without putting the life of any operator at risk as they are operated from a distant remote location. Improved Scientific Research Use of unmanned aerial vehicles has made it possible for researchers to penetrate through to areas that are or might be hazardous for aircraft controlled by people. Use of the unmanned Aerosonde drone by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) escalated the hunt for hurricane throughout Australia. This facility enabled the researchers to collect data from areas that were beyond the required barometric pressure for human survival. Such areas could however not be accessible earlier before the invention of the unmanned aerial vehicles. It is, therefore, clear that research was expounded as data in earlier inaccessible regions is now easily accessed. Growth in artificial intelligence has been accelerated with more and more research being carried out to replace other human activities with the autonomous systems based on this technology (Nonami et al., 2010). Aerial Photography and film making Aerial videography is a current innovation that has gained much impetus in the recent past. This exercise has raised debates within the American and Europe continents as the administration has not fully issued permissions to private investors for operation of drones. The Federal Aviation Administration has the responsibility to govern the way individuals utilize the drones, and are currently having debates to offer guidelines for those who operate drones within the private sectors. Fear by commercial piloting professionals to be replaced by the artificial drones has greatly raised the debates towards restriction by the state law over the use drones by the locals. The film industry has received enormous growth since the introduction of this technology and the licensing of the Hollywood by the state authority to employ the use of drones for their photography. This has greatly revolutionized the film industry marked with improved quality of videography and photography. The diagram below is an illustration of a sample drone used in the filming industry for video shooting. Figure 1: Illustration of drones used in the filming industry (Adopted from < http://citizenreviewonline.org/category/drones/>) Improved Exploration Use of drones in geographical explorations is a new field that has seen the field expanding at a great pace in the recent past. Geomagnetic surveys are currently carried out using animated systems attached on the unmanned crafts, leading to more detailed and efficient methods of exploring the strength of the underlying rocks and discovery of the natural resources. Experienced geospatial engineers can use the data collected from the exploration to predict the locations of valuable minerals lying beneath the earth’s crust (Mark, 2012). The diagram below illustrates a drone used for exploration of mines and other natural resources. Figure 2: Illustration of crafts used for land exploration (Adopted from < http://www.usatoday.com/drones-agriculture-growth/6665561/>) Expansion of Agriculture Recent developments have seen drones moving quickly from the war arenas to the farming industries to aid farmers in different operations in the management of plantations. Ranging from surveillance to other services as spraying of herbicides, drones have greatly come in to save farmers huge costs that could have been otherwise incurred. Other applications include the delivery of products from one location to another, creating great expectations for more utilization of drones on farming in the future. Most agricultural tasks span large tracts and long distances while there is no privacy expected in the execution of duties (Faical et al., 2014). This makes it a perfect choice even in highly populated areas where farming is the core business. The use of these facilities in the application of pesticides that could have otherwise been harmful to human health on farms is now possible. It is, therefore, a prominent course that should be keenly implemented and utilized as it will lead to continued growth in agricultural productivity. Armed Attacks Since the inception of unmanned aerial vehicles, they have been used by different state military to hit targeted grounds. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles armed with missiles and other deadly weapons are deployed to the target locations and controlled from a remote location using remotes and other control devices without the physical appearance of any human controller. This strategy has been applied by different countries to attack their enemies over the past since their inception in 2001. Application of these facilities in the fight against terrorism has been achieved by the United States to a considerable milestone. Figure 3: Graph showing the extent of comfort with UAVs The use of this technology has also played great roles in different aspects such as in search and rescue operations conducted by state military troops. Other operations such as spying are achieved with the help of miniature unmanned aerial vehicles by state intelligence units. It is, therefore, clear that the roles played by these amicable technological devices are endless. The future of this technology is, therefore, bright and will greatly influence the way people handle different operations. The future of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Utilization From the vast number of opportunities dispensed by the use of these facilities, it is evident that most operations in the future will be controlled from a remote location with the aid of the UAVs. The military departments of most states will continue utilizing these facilities for most of their operations. With the continued research in artificial intelligence, there is hope for improvements aimed producing drones with additional capabilities. Expansions of their use by private individuals have also grown leading to expansive exploration of the space. Unmanned aerial vehicles might be in a position to perform more intelligent tasks, surveillance and striking with minimal control from human experts. With the establishment of the “Unmanned Systems Integration Roadmap” policy, the United States Department of Defense will be in a position to utilize UAVs potential in administration of their attacks beyond the current state. On the other hand, the private sector will adopt the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for commercial purposes such as delivery of products to customer destinations, and other activities. This however requires the involvement of the intelligence to counter such challenges as hacking and invasion of personal privacy. In conclusion, possibilities of the drones replacing most human involvement in the aeronautical space exploration are high. There is, therefore, need for governments to lay regulations that govern the use of drones for private and other roles to save people from the risk of drones taking over most human activities and ensuring their safety at the long run. References Ćosić, J., Ćurković, P., Kasač, J., and Stepanić, J., 2013.Interpreting Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Systems Thinking.Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 11(1). pp. 143-152. Faiçal, B., Costa, F., Pessin, G., Ueyama, J., Freitas, H., Colombo, A., Fini, P., Villas, L., Osório, F., Vargas, P. and Braun, T., 2014.The use of unmanned aerial vehicles and wireless sensor networks for spraying pesticides.Journal of Systems Architecture, 60(4), pp. 393-404. Langelaan, J.W. and Roy, N., 2009. Enabling new missions for robotic aircraft: Journal of Science, [Online] 326, pp. 1642-1644.Available at : [Accessed 3 July 2014] Marks, P., 2012. Drones take to the skies: New Scientist, [Online] 2850, pp. 20-21. Available at :< URL: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0262407912602875/1-s2.0-S0262407912602875-main.pdf?_tid=408fe386-5feb-11e2-bfef-00000aacb360&acdnat=1358347658_3e4edbe6df14aafde248e60628bc5a27> [Accessed 3 July 2014] Nonami, K., Kendoul, F., Suzuki, S., Wang, W. and Nakazawa, D., 2010. Autonomous Flying Robots; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Micro Aerial Vehicles. London: Springer Read More