Opportunities for civilian application of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) have always been limited, thanks to the strict legislation in place. The military, on the contrary, have been able to leverage the potential of these incredibly smart robots to perform surveillance tasks. For researchers like Stephen Prior, though, it has always been a tough fight. The group in favor of more lenient regulations believes that these robots will be highly useful in collecting atmospheric data at altitudes of 1km above the earth’s surface, a task that cannot be executed efficiently by a manned aircraft. The biggest impediment to this objective is the fact that sub 7 kg robots aren’t permitted to fly fully automated. Moreover, permits on flying such UAV’s beyond certain declared areas are not easily forthcoming. These regulations, however, haven’t hampered Stephen’s progress in creating, perhaps, the first tri-rotor flying machine. The USP of this robot is its ability to take off and land vertically, thereby making automatic functioning highly feasible.
Showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow, which is attended by leading UAV manufaturers, the tri-rotor flying robot weighs just 3.5 kgs, which also means that laws against automatic flight are applicable in this case. However, a UK-based developer of aircraft-support systems believes that fully automated UAVs will become ubiquitous someday and this invention would set new benchmarks then. The only trouble he foresees is the dilemma of placing human support on the ground, watching over the UAV, to prevent any major disaster. For now, though, Stephen’s creation would be governed by the same laws as a model airplane.
Via:Nature
