Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), also known as drones, are aircraft either controlled by pilots from the ground or autonomously following a pre-programmed mission. There are dozens of different types of drones but they basically fall into two categories: those used for investigation and surveillance purposes and those for carrying missiles and bombs. The use of drones has increased quickly in recent years because, unlike manned aircraft, they can stay in the air for many hours. They are much cheaper than military aircraft and flown remotely.
Bangladesh is not lagging behind in respect of modern drone technology. In 2013 a student of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) developed a drone (flying vehicle). Abdullah Al Mamun Khan Deep perfected the drone under his thesis project. Now, a coat copter, based on Deep's thesis, has been produced at Aro Research Center, established by three other graduates from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in collaboration with Deep.
This copter has been named Bangla Drone and experimentally flown in presence of the DMP commissioner recently. The engineers of Bangla Drone used lithium ion battery to charge this coat helicopter. Its body weight is 1.5 kg and it can carry one kilogram more weight, when in the air for 15 minutes. The cost of making this drone is three times cheaper than its counterparts made abroad. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has shown interest in its future use for various purposes, including maintenance of law and order and monitoring of traffic system in Dhaka. It is going to include four drones immediately as part of its modernisation programme.
This type of drones can be used for some important purposes like weather forecasting, 3-d mapping, helping farming, search and rescue, protecting wildlife etc. Developing nations are using drones to monitor elections, record human rights abuses, measure the impact of natural disasters and resource extraction. Drone journalism widely use this technology. But in the developing world, the largest single sector to benefit from this unmanned technology is agriculture. Drones, both large and small, have potential as vehicles to precisely deliver pesticides and herbicides, and collect crop data that allow minimum inputs for maximum yields. Where access to water is at a premium, drones could help farmers do more with less. A grower can reduce environmental impact through reduced chemical use or sustainable farming methods to the benefit of the local community and the ecosystem.
Usually this type of coat copters are radio-controlled copters and its direction can be prefixed by the operator so that it may come back automatically to the starting point after observing the selected area. This device will be able to reach anywhere, operated by a remote controller, within a short time and making almost no noise. Other city corporations can procure this copter for their law enforcing agencies. The producer company of this drone can upgrade and modernise it according to the demand of its users. Pressing the local drone into service in areas of law and order will obviously inspire our local entrepreneurs. Patronage from both public and private sector for further research in and development of the vehicle can ensure its commercial viability because of its demand at home and abroad.
shahana_bilkis@yahoo.com
Home-grown drone marks a technological leap
Shahana Bilkis | Published: January 31, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
Share if you like