drones the future technology
TRANSCRIPT
DRONE “The Future Technology”
BLACK HORNET PD-100 PRS
Black Hornet Nano
The Black Hornet Nano is a military micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Prox Dynamics AS of Norway, and in use by the Norwegian and British Army.The unit measures around 10 × 2.5 cm (4 × 1 in) and provides troops on the ground with local situational awareness. They are small enough to fit in one hand and weigh just over half an ounce (16 g, including batteries).
PD-100 PRS The PD-100 is the first airborne and commercially
available Personal Reconnaissance System. It provides end users with a highly mobile sensor system providing an immediate Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability.
Black Hornet 2 nano sensors The Black Hornet 2 nano sensors are inherently safe and pose virtually
no risk to other air vehicles or personnel, allowing the system to be operated almost anywhere at any time without prior airspace coordination. The Black Hornet’s small size and electric motors makes it virtually inaudible and invisible beyond short distances. Rotor span 120 mm
Mass 18 g including cameras Maximum speed 5 m/s Endurance up to 25 minutes Digital data link beyond 1600 m line-of-sight GPS navigation or visual navigation through video Autopilot with autonomous and directed modes Hover & Stare, preplanned routes Steerable EO cameras (pan/yaw and tilt) Live video and snapshot images
Missions Missions Search and rescue Reconnaissance in confined areas Look behind, between and below obstacles Birds eye view for situational awareness Object identification Proximity surveillance Crowd control Inspect nuclear installations Check chemical plants after incidents and accidents
Benefits Transportable – complete system fits inside a pocket Ready to fly – airborne within one minute Fly it anywhere – in confined areas and outdoors Stealth – small and inaudible Easy to operate – requires little training and no pilot experience Safe – represents no risks to other aircraft or personell Affordable – reusable or expendable
However on this small scale everything becomes very difficult, and integrating a GPS and the required software and control systems for autonomous flight, and reaching mission times of 15/20 minutes is an entirely different story and surely requires some serious financial investments for technological research, as the PD-100 obviously contains state of the art specialized components and software that are simply not available on the consumer market at this time.
OperationThe aircraft are being used by soldiers from the UK's Brigade Reconnaissance Force at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. Operation Herrick personnel in Afghanistan deploy the Black Hornet from the front line to fly into enemy territory to take video and still images before returning to the operator.Designed to blend in with the muddy grey walls in Afghanistan, and capable of flying for 20 minutes on quiet electric motors, it has been used to look around corners or over walls and other obstacles to identify any hidden dangers and enemy positions. The Black Hornet is connected to the operator with a digital data-link and GPS. Images are displayed on a small handheld terminal, which can be used by the operator to control the UAV. The Black Hornet is launched from a small box that can be strapped to a utility belt, which also stores transmitted data so a captured drone won't reveal anything it recorded. Operators can steer the UAV or set waypoints for it to fly itself.
The little military drone only weights 16 grams. Mission durations of 15/20 minutes are mentioned in the video, which is outstanding for such a small sized machine. The PD-100 can reach a speed of 22mph (35,4 Km/h).
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features Plenty of features actually, the main one being that the PD-100 is
a full featured mini UAV, equipped with GPS and capable of autonomous flights. As the creator of the Black Hornet puts it, “it acts as a pair of flying binoculars”, and these binoculars have an at least 1Km range as shown by the test flight in the movie.
This kind of range, for both radio and video links specifications, is unthinkable for a mini Walkera or Hubsan without significant modifications. Still, given enough hacking a skilled enthusiast could likely reach this range, as far as the radio link and video link are concerned. With civilian, consumer technology this could probably require a significantly bulky setup for the ground station, that should include devices such as antenna trackers, signal boosters and such.
Develop by The Black Hornet PD-100 was developed by Prox Dynamics, a
firm founded by Petter Murren in 2007, whose mission is as follows (from the company website):
“Prox Dynamics’ mission is to develop, produce and sell the world’s smallest unmanned aircraft systems. We will create new innovative solutions based on modern micro electronics, new sensor technology, creative aerodynamics and efficient low cost production techniques. We will work closely with leading partners and customers to deliver cost optimal and functional products.”
