When reality surpasses imagination. Until a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to transport heavy cargo loads with a small drone, but today it seems to be the way of the future: drone cargo transport is now a reality.
The first experiment took place last July in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, where the remote-controlled drone “Multicopter FB3” flew over the mountains with about 80 kilograms of goods. A pilot and completely innovative project carried out by the Italian company Flying Basket, which rated the mission a success.
The drone is undoubtedly a vehicle that will become a must in the future, especially for transporting dangerous goods or urgent materials. There are those who fantasize about drone-taxis for cruising human beings, and perhaps one day it really will be so.
In the meantime, we can continue to keep an eye on this small, low-flying helicopter and understand its operation and structure.
What does a drone look like?
A drone is a radio-controlled craft that operates by geolocation and can go as far as having a flight range thanks to sophisticated sensors. Thanks to ENAC (Ente Nazionale Aviazione Civile), Italy can boast a world record on the civilian use of this new technology.
There are different drone models, which are divided according to structure and price range.
Mainly the body of a drone consists of the following parts: frame, engines, esc, Lithium-ion Polymer Batteries, flight controller, IMU and remote control. Let us go on to analyze composition and special features of the various compositions:
- Frame: the frame is the skeleton of the drone, that is, the supporting structure of the vehicle. This aid can be made of different materials (wood, plastic and aluminum) and have different degrees of strength.
– Engines: engines can be from 2 to 8, depending on the model and size of the drone.
- ESC: stands for Electronic Speed and Control and allows motors to run at different speeds.
- Lithium-ion Polymer Batteries: Li-Po batteries are lightweight and make it possible for the drone to take off. They are a power source that allows the drone to fly from 10 minutes to more than an hour.
- Flight controller: is the drone’s autopilot and acts as the black box of the craft, recording all the data of the trip.
- IMU: the Inertial Measurament Unit includes flight measuring instruments, such as GPS or other aids that allow you to monitor travel.
– Remote control system: this is the remote control that pilots the drone.
