Hurdles for the Success of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

There are several challenges that the developers of UAVs must overcome in order to ensure the success of this technology. According to Lawrence Newcome, the “market for UAVs has shown a strong positive trend since the end of the Cold War (1990) and this is expected to accelerate” (2004, p. 133). However, he notes that “major hurdles to the continuation of this trend are the increasing amount (and cost) of the software involved and the silicon chip manufacturing barrier” (Newcome, 2004, p. 133). P. W. Singer outlines other obstacles that must be dealt with such as the need for improved maneuverability, enhanced autonomy, and the advancement of real-time planning. Ultimately, Newcome asserts that UAVs need “improved reliability, a regulatory infrastructure, and a stable customer base” in order to survive (2004, p. 136). Overall, patrons of this technology need to trust its dependability in order to endorse it and ensure its proliferation.

Security Concerns of UAVs

One major security concern of UAVs is the unencrypted video feeds they emit. This issue became apparent in 2009 when U.S. forces “had discovered that insurgents in Iraq, using inexpensive, off-the-shelf software, had been able to hack into video feeds” from the Predator and Reaper UAVs (Nakashima, 2009, p. 10). If enough video feed is intercepted and archived, the U.S. military’s tactics and means of operation could be compromised (Nakashima, 2009, p. 10). Encryption of the UAV’s video feed is not expected to reach completion until 2014, which according to former Air Force secretary Michael Wynne is “too late” (Nakashima, 2009, p. 9).

Social, Ethical, and Legal Concerns

Privacy will become a considerable social, ethical and legal concern as UAVs make their way into the civilian world. These issues have already been raised in response to Google’s use of an unmanned surveillance quadcopter. According to Clay Dillow (2010), Google’s “interest in such a drone is most likely its ability to supplement its Google Earth service, which currently relies on aerial and satellite photos to overlay Google Maps with actual bird's eye images of the earth” (p. 1). However, their use of an aerial surveillance drone could spark the interest of “privacy advocates and could raise legal concerns in some countries” (Dillow, 2010, p. 1). According to Dillow (2010), “UK aircraft regulations have already been amended to reflect the new and growing role of surveillance drones in society” and the “FAA is currently considering how the U.S. might integrate commercial drones into American skies” (p.1). The implementation of UAVs into the commercial arena will obviously have a significant effect on law involving personal rights, as well as on the entire culture of society. Sometime in the future “privacy rights, aviation law, and commercial interests are going to collide” and the “ensuing reactions of citizens and state could mark the preliminary steps in defining which direction our drone culture is heading” (Dillow, 2010, p. 1).
Another primarily ethical and legal issue of UAVs involves civilian casualties. The Law of Armed Conflict exists to prevent needless suffering without impeding the effective waging of war (Dilanian, 2011, p.9). This especially applies to innocent bystanders, which can be an issue when missiles are fired from UAVs. In the past, officials have been hesitant to use UAVs in “urban areas” where high-level militants sometimes take refuge because it would “greatly increase the risk of civilian casualties” (Hosenball, 2009, p. 1). This also raises the issue of “unclear responsibility” in the instance that “improper conduct and unauthorized harms” do occur (Lin, Bekey, Abney, 2008, p. 73).
Finally, would the advantage provided by UAVs “lower the barrier for war” and “make it easier for one nation to engage in war or adopt aggressive foreign policies” (Lin, Bekey, Abney, 2008, p. 75)? With fewer casualties anticipated because of unmanned options, this seems like a valid possibility. It is also possible that the “asymmetry” of such a war could provoke desperate retaliation that could “radically change” a society (Lin, Bekey, Abney, 2008, p. 81).

Autonomous Technology

Finally, autonomy is an important element in the development of modern UAVs. An autonomous UAV would be mostly independent of outside control. Most contemporary unmanned crafts “combine remote control and computerized automation” however some “sophisticated versions may have built-in control and/or guidance systems to perform low-level human pilot duties such as speed and flight-path stabilization, and simple scripted navigation functions such as waypoint following” (Schneider, 2011, p. 2). According to Schneider (2011), some important technologies associated with autonomy include sensor fusion, and automated takeoff and landing.
Sensor fusion involves the information collected for navigation, gyroscopes, and “heterogeneous sensors for environment perception such as visual and infrared cameras” (Ollero and Maza, 2007, p. 210). These sensors are “geometrically calibrated” and use “GPS…and pan and tilt encoders” in order to “geolocate objects on the image plane by projecting them over a known elevation map” (Ollero and Maza, 2007, p. 210). All sensors on the UAV are connected to the vehicles central processing unit (CPU) which “executes all programs for control purposes, sensor data acquisition and calculations” (Ollero and Maza, 2007, p. 118). In order for the UAV to fly autonomously, the “microcontroller needs information about the current position and…altitude” (Ollero and Maza, 2007, p. 118). This technology is being expanded further by companies such as Prioria Robotics, which is developing UAVs that “autonomously use video to steer around objects,” a prerequisite for flying in civilian airspace” (Schneider, 2011, p.3). Tightly related to sensor fusion is the automated technology that has been displayed in UAVs such as the Shadow. In 2001, “special radio equipment” was added to this 3.4 meter long craft in order to enable automated landings (Schneider, 2011, p. 3). This capability ensures a secure landing and removes the possibility of human error.

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).

Beginnings of UAV Technology

In 1876, Nikola Tesla began to develop a concept for a “remotely controlled unmanned airplane” which would use electricity transmitted “over long distances by alternating current” (Newcome, 2004, p. 11). In May of 1898, Tesla introduced a radio controlled boat to the Electrical Exposition in Madison Square Garden. It was commanded by sending out varying radio frequencies and was called “telautomation” (Newcome, 2004, p. 13). Although Nikola Tesla never fulfilled his dream of producing an unmanned airplane, he is still credited with developing the concept of unmanned aviation (Newcome, 2004, p. 14).

Video on UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Advantages of UAVs:

1. Can be deployed in situations that are dangerous to humans.
2. Can be programmed to operate autonomously.
3. They can operate for much longer than a human.
4. They remove the option of human error.
5. They are becoming increasingly easy to use.

Disadvantages of UAVs:

1. They can be very expensive.
2. The technologies they rely on are in need of further development.
3. Unencrypted video feeds are a security hazard.
4. Trust of consumer in the commercial field.
5. Ambiguous responsibility if something goes wrong.