The term Drone as used in popular culture today is somewhat deceiving, and in my opinion completely lazy.After this crash course on the differences between drones and UAV's you will be able to arrogantly correct all your friends who think they know what they are talking about.
"Drone" has become generic and broad.
Just like "Band-aid" has become a blanket term that describes anything sticky and sterile, "Drone" has morphed into a blanket term that encompasses: radio controlled aircraft, Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) and quadcopters...basically anything and controlled from the ground with no on-board pilot.
Side note: "Drone" is mostly used loosely and incorrectly, but, just like "band-aid" it is here to stay. So if you forget the proper usage, don't sweat it.
Lets break the vocab down for you so you can promptly
ignore it just like we do!
Drones: We will define drones as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that either flies in part by an operator on the ground assisted by computer (GPS, stabilization, auto trim etc..) or completely autonomously after being programmed by the operator.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles:Think of an unmanned aerial vehicle in the same category as a manned aerial vehicle or manned aircraft. The difference being that the pilot is not inside the craft and operates the controls via an electronic data link. (generally radio or satellite link)
The obvious limitations of UAV's are: they can be difficult to control and navigate (especially over long distances) and have low adaptability characteristics to changing conditions and variables.
Quadcopter: A rotary wing aircraft with 4 main rotors. There is no written law that we have been able to find (and we have searched high and low) that specifically states that quadcopters must always be unmanned.
The main difference between traditional RC aircraft and drones is the use of stabilization and or obstacle avoidance hardware and software.
Other Drone Terms:
FPV: First Person View.2.4 Ghz Spread Spectrum: Ghz is short for Gigahertz and is
the radio frequency used by the current generation of "Radio Controls Transmitters" The spread spectrum technology allows the ability to frequency hop to compensate for any interference.
Accelerometer: An electronic or mechanical device that quantifies your drone’s acceleration and aids in maintaining the UAV’s orientation relative to the ground.
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| Fatshark 3D Gimbal |
camera assist. Gimbals allow the camera to appear still while the drone is unstable.
Gyroscope: A gyroscope, or "gyro" is the device that measures yaw, pitch and roll and makes micro-adjustments to the craft to keep it in stable, controlled flight.
LiPo: Short for Lithium Polymer, The type of battery favored by most drone manufacturers due to its low weight and high charge and power capacity.
Terms Related To Flight
Yaw: Rotation around y axis.Pitch: Rotation around the z axis
Roll: Rotation around the x axis.
