Sharing Good Practice
Drones
What do you know about them?
Dr Sujith Samuel Mathew and Mr Tony Ng
viewed as unreliable toys, they were
used for military purposes about thirty
years ago and this sparked the growth
in the widespread interest in drones.
Since then, the drones have become
more efficient and reliable. The drone
can be classified as a special type of
robot. Robots are typically classified
based on their application (Industrial,
Military, or Domestic), and sometimes
based on Mobility (stationary, wheeled,
legged, amphibian, swarm, or flying).
In this article we are discussing the
commercially available drones like the
Parrot AR.Drone 2.0.
Capabilities and Limitations
W
“
e want to reach to people
before they reach us.
We want to save time,
to shorten distances, to
increase effectiveness and to make
services easier.” These were the words
of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President
and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler
of Dubai, at the Government Summit,
February, 2014, as he launched the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ‘Drones
for Good’ award .
development.
Introduction
Depending on the capabilities and
limitations of drones there are wide
range of applications yet to be
unveiled. In this article, we present
some basic information for ICT
teachers to easily introduce the drones
in their classrooms. For practical
purposes, we also provide steps to
program some basic functions of
the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 using the
Java programming language. This
article is to help increase awareness
and interest in the use of drones
and thereby allow ICT teachers and
students to work together and create
innovative applications.
Drones
are
Unmanned
Ariel
Vehicles (UAV), i.e. aircrafts that are
remotely piloted. These range from
simple,
hand-operated
variants
to high altitude, armed, and longendurance systems. While drones
were initially used by armed forces
for reconnaissance and surveillance,
they are finding wider applications in
industry and business.
Recent applications for commercial
drones are social needs, and public
service improvements. Some of
the future application areas are,
disaster relief, humanitarian aid,
economic development, public health,
education, civil defense, logistics,
environment control, infrastructure
development, and tourism. Many
of these are in their early stages of
Today, a variety of drones are available
off-the-shelf at a price ranging from
AED 100 to AED 2,000. These are
finding their way into the hands of
young children, unleashing a level of
creativity that is beyond what today’s
classrooms are harnessing. Training
the next generation and giving
adequate skills on how to use the
technology is important to the young
minds that will shape our tomorrow.
The UAV has been around for more
than a century, with remote-controlled
hot-air balloons and unmanned
aircrafts. The contemporary version
of drones originated from the toy
industry. Though they were initially
The design of drones is typically based
on miniature aircrafts and helicopters.
The uniquely designed quadcopters
(multirotor drones) are becoming more
popular for civilian and commercial
use. We list a few of their common
features and capabilities:
• Portability:
The
commercially
available variants of drones are easy
to carry. For instance, the Parrot
AR.Drone weighs between 350gm
to 450gm.
• Remote Connectivity: The drones
can be remotely controlled using
communication technology like
Radio Frequency (RF), Bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, or 2/3/4G phones. The
quadcopter, Parrot AR.Drone 2.0,
is a very good example of a Wi-Fi
controlled drone.
• Flight Distance: Most drones reach
a flying altitude of 10 meters and
more. The Parrot AR.Drone reaches
a height of 50 meters.
• Remote Sensing: The drones are
usually fitted with different types
of sensors like audio/visual sensors,
electromagnetic sensors, or bio/
chemical sensors. One of the key
features of the Parrot AR.Drone is
a built-in 720p HD camera for live
streaming of photos and videos to
a connected smartphone or tablet.
• Flight Endurance: The drones are
battery-powered and most of them
retain power for at-least 10 – 15 min.
A few models are solar-powered
and can be flown for a few hours.
Continued on page 35
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