Technology Behind UAVs

The expansion and success of unmanned aerial vehicles early in the twentieth century was dependent upon the convergence of “three critical technologies, in addition to that of flight itself: 1) automatic stabilization, 2) remote control, and 3) autonomous navigation” (Newcome, 2004, p. 15). The first of these technologies was initially addressed by Elmer Ambrose Sperry. In 1911, he developed a gyrostabilizer for airplanes, an advancement that “solved a key technical impediment to unmanned flight: stabilized flight in the absence of a pilot’s inputs” (Newcome, 2004, p. 16). Gyroscopes are devices that maintain their orientation despite any movement on the plane. Today, improvements in microelectromechanical systems have enabled small, reliable gyroscopes to be added to UAVs.
Remote control operations were initially developed by Nikola Tesla with his “wireless control experiments” that worked by “sending out different radio frequencies” (Newcome, 2004, p. 13). In the mid 1990s, UAVs such as the Pointer experienced limitations involved with radio control such as short battery life. The craft could only fly for about thirty minutes, restraining the types of missions it could accomplish. The Pointer also included an 80-pound box for a ground-control station which was “awkwardly bulky” to carry (Schneider, 2011, p. 2). Remotely controlled crafts also require UAV pilots who are based at ground control stations. In 2001, “technical refinements allowed operation…to be shifted from one ground control station to another” (Schneider, 2004, p. 3). According to Schneider, this important development allowed control to be transferred from UAV pilots to their comrades stationed at U.S. bases, reducing confusion and increasing information transfer rate. In the early 2000s, improvements in computer and radio links encouraged the use of UAVs, especially for use in military endeavors (Schneider, 2011, p. 2).