By Mirza Rizwan
Industry 4.0 is characterised by absolute customised products and services through creation of operating models where virtual and physical systems of manufacturing and supply chain cooperate mutually. This cooperation led to an integrated automation system which has been further revolutionised by drone and robot. Drone are flying robots or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to perform normal to high-risk tasks. It was first reported to be used by the allied forces in the early 1940s to spy on the axis powers.
Drone has remarkable distinction to perform high risk tasks without putting human life at risk. It can be designed to perform need-based varying tasks across different industry sectors ranging from agriculture to mining to any kind of emergency response task. Drone has come to great prominence in recent years primarily in defence forces on account of added advantage to be used repeatedly unlike that of missiles. Few analysts predicted the revolution of drone technology to that of gunpowder which is going to be the game-changer in military might.
Civil To Military Use Of Drone
Drone is a popular toy for hobbyists, useful tool for commerce and a multi-purpose device for the military. Aerial photography for journalism and film are so common that new models of drones are being frequently released in the market with enhanced features and flying comfort. The versatility of drones has been of extreme value for four sectors which are agriculture, consumer goods, transportation, and military. The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) predicted that the agricultural use of drones could comprise 80% of the future use of drones as it can closely monitor crops to improve management and yield.
Heavy-duty drones can replace trucks and lorries for inventory management. Delivering consumer goods packaging through drones is becoming popular due to huge cost savings and faster deliveries. Mining companies and construction project sites are deploying drones worldwide to accurately measure site conditions, inspect pit walls, calculate quantities, and measure and map project lifecycle in 3D. Wildlife research and storm forecasting has become very easy due to drone’s ability to operate at night. Drones are very helpful for emergency response, search and rescue tasks particularly in challenging terrain.
Military drones have emerged as the new face of war where the future of the military lies. It has all the required facilities for aerial support like surveillance equipment, communication zones and weapon systems to hit the target while flying without a crew. NATO has classified the military drone into three classes based on size and task performance. Class 1 are micro, mini or small drones weighing less than 150 kgs and are used to provide ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance). FULMAR developed by Thales and Wake Engineering are fixed wing micro drones with maximum take-off weight of about 20kg, endurance of 12 hours and a range of about 90km.
Class 2 are tactical drones weighing somewhere in between 150 to 600 kgs for the purpose of medium range surveillance used for situational analysis and awareness to offer protection and target acquisition. Watchkeeper, developed by Thales, is the most advanced kind of class 2 drones. Class 3 are strategic drones weighing more than 600 kgs and range from Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) systems to High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) systems. Strategic drones have a wide range of applications from determining the position of the enemy to compiling lists of targets.
Iterative Innovation In Drone Technology
It is pertinent to understand the fundamental drone mechanism before discussing the ongoing advancement in drone technology. Drone has two basic functions of navigation and flight mode. It has software-controlled flight plans embedded in its systems to work in conjunction with onboard sensors and global positioning system with obvious integration of the power supply system to the hardware drone body. Software consists of firmware, middleware and an operating system to manage flight control, navigation and decision-making.
The sensors calculate external distance measurements and detect formations to avoid collisions. The controller of the drone lets the operator manoeuvre remotely to launch, navigate and land the drone by communicating through radio waves. This basic hardware of drones has a need based add-on system to transform it into global disruptive technology for the drastic change in mode of operations in the majority of the industry in general and military in particular. Such operational changes have added advantage of zero risk to human life, operational efficiency, and cost-reduction.
The iterative innovation in drone technology is occurring at both the fronts of drone mechanisms, the underlying technological advancement and ancillary functions. An altitude management function has been advanced from normal sensor to a barometric pressure sensor, ultrasonic sensor, and a throttle stick to manage drones maintain their altitudes. Hydrogen powered drone replacing lithium-ion battery for longer airborne stay. Improved vision, environmental awareness, and autonomous recharging are some of the other areas where continuous technological progress are being explored.
Ancillary functions of drones undergoing iterative innovation in terms of installing newer and advanced systems with the most recent example of an Israeli firm developing an infantry drone that can fire machine guns and sniper rifles at targets while flying. Recently, a British defence company ‘Ultra Electronics’ has demonstrated the drone control mechanism through the mind instead of a handheld remote controller at Defence and Security Expo 2021.
However, two primary technologies going to upgrade the impact of drones are Infrared Thermography (IRT) and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI). IRT are recent advancements of thermal imaging where large areas can be scanned fast and real-time to assist ground activities. HSI collects hundreds of images at different wavelengths into a three-dimensional hypercube which distinguishes the full colour spectrum in each pixel and helps identify minute objects and processes.
Threats & Challenges From Drones
Notwithstanding the positive use of commercial drones there are numerous cases of nefarious use of drones posing increased threat. The nature of such threats are of four types. First is attack on critical facilities or VIPs, as drones can carry explosives or biological weapons. Swarm drones attack could be used for targeted killing amidst large population or as an alternative to suicide mission.
Second is intrusion or invasion to privacy or for espionage activities. Third is collision, which could be accidental or intentional to airborne security. And fourth is smuggling via drones of illegal items or weapons. The other challenge could be the cyber threat to the drone itself in terms of hijacking the drone to steal encrypted data for nefarious use or stealing of items.
Anti-Drone System Technology
The threat perception of the drone technology pushes for an anti-drone system as conventional air defence systems are normally ineffective against small sizes of drones. Anti-drone systems identify the hostile drone and diffuse it to protect critical infrastructures or areas and military installations. The most common technology of the anti-drone system is to install infrared sensors to detect drones and radio frequency detectors to jam it. However, precision is difficult to achieve.
Future Impact
City commuting by car would be tougher and expensive than commuting by drone. Auto driven electric cars enabled with drone technology will jump above in the air from the city traffic or rough terrain to reach their destination. This will immensely reduce the travel time and the cost. NASA is testing a prototype of an electric version of a 6-rotor large drone designed to lift like a helicopter with as many as six commuters.
Soldiers will be replaced by drones to fight the major portion of the war and nations having advanced drone technology will have the edge. Drone miniaturisation will help build a swarm of drones’ clouds to control the city condition in terms of serving and harming the entire population. However, drone technology along with anti-drone system technology will accord real edge to the nation.
Drone technology is going to disrupt the solution designing for the national to global issues and problems. Think of a worldwide common situation where a healthy person experiences sudden cardiac arrest and the data suggest that more than 70 percent of such cardiac arrest turn fatal due to inability of instant use of defibrillators on account of hospital transfer. Such defibrillators attached to drones can be found installed at top of buildings and programmed with mobile applications to reach mobile holders at once.
About The Author
The writer is a US National award-winning serial innovator with 34 patents pending with US and India patent offices. Known for revolutionising education in the United States by developing and implementing courses to teach young kids to innovate. He is currently working as Chief Innovation Officer with Si2 Microsystem, where he is responsible for leading and managing global innovation teams to deliver high-tech solutions in the aerospace & defence industry.
