Flying Robot (Summary Draft 2)

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012) introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones about illegal logging. Robots will be able to capture live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones are used in recent years to “detect illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes” by keeping tabs in the sky. According to the University of Pennsylvania deputy dean (Kumar), quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotor is smarter and has high situation awareness to react to obstructions by orientating themselves and maneuvering through by adjusting the rotors’ speed. However, each quadrotor is independent, which will affect the coordination with other units. While the quadrotor remains a solution to reduce the damage to the ecosystem, operations might be compromised as communication remains a concern.

References

Peck, M. (2012, March 20). How flying robots might prevent deforestation. Retrieved February 06, 2021, from https://mashable.com/2012/03/20/flying-robots-deforestation/