Unmanned Aerial Systems: The Wave of the Future, for Better or Worse

Development of unmanned systems is progressing forward at a rapid pace. The market is exploding with new models in the air, ground, and maritime domains. Flying drones, both commercial and hobby, are becoming cheaper and more available; ground drones are being used as delivery systems; and maritime drones are entering military service in both combat and search-and-rescue roles. However, although drone technology is exploding in all domains, it is the unmanned aerial systems, or UASs, that will be the dominant drones of the future. And they will be dominant because of two key words: versatility and range. 

UASs are the most versatile of all the drone types on the market. For example, one look at the H Robotics website (http://www.hrobotics.co.uk/index.html) shows that they offer their drone in nine different configurations, including broadcasting, surveying, and gas leak monitoring. Professional photographers use drones to take images that would be either prohibitively expensive or outright impossible without UAVs (Bernstein, 2015). Search and rescue units are using drones to locate missing persons (Hodapp, 2015). The list goes on. Unmanned ground systems (UGSs) and unmanned maritime systems (UMSs) can also be used in a variety of roles, but none are as encompassing as the UAVs. 

UAVs also have the biggest range, by far. UGVs are limited to operating on the ground and UMVs are limited to operating in water. However, UAVs can affect all three domains. UAVs can be used for search and rescue operations over water as much as over land; they can be used for deliveries to ground locations; and they can go farther and faster than either of the other two types of unmanned systems. 

I think UAVs will have the greatest impact on society over the next two decades. UAVs are the most popular, most common, and most well-known drones on the market. They can be seen in every toy store, and more and more companies are using them for commercial purposes. I think they will be most commonly used in a photography/videography/surveillance role, since we as a society love taking and sharing images.

What impact will this have? I believe it will have a similar impact to that of smartphones. The smartphone was (and is) a world-changing device, because it gives users the ability to take high-quality images and videos and share them instantly with the rest of the world. This has eroded privacy, but it has also uncovered injustice and led to the exposure of serious issues that would otherwise never come to light. I believe UAVs will do the same thing. The ability of these drones to take high-resolution pictures from virtually any angle will lead to more and more people living their lives in a sort of fishbowl, constantly mindful of the fact that someone is watching. This is bad for privacy but good for justice and law enforcement. It’s a double-edged sword.

Ultimately, I think UAVs will be the most impactful because they most closely align with human nature. For whatever reason, people love to take pictures and observe each other. UAVs make that possible more than any other unmanned system, which is why they will be the most impactful drone in the future.

References

Bernstein, B. (2015). Top 3 best drones for drone photography and 4K video. Retrieved from

    

     http://heavy.com/tech/2015/07/top-best-drones-to-buy-for-drone-photography-4k-video-

     

     surveillance/

Hodapp, P. (2015). Search and rescue teams aim to save lives with off-the-shelf drones.

     Retrieved from https://makezine.com/2015/12/15/search-and-rescue-teams-aim-to-save-lives-

     off-the-shelf-drones/

Studying Orcas with the Wave Glider SV3

            Orcas, more commonly known as killer whales, are some of the most intelligent and mysterious creatures in the ocean. Orcas are a very culture-oriented species, with different pods developing different preferences for food, different migratory patterns, and even different dialects (Stiffler, 2011). In fact, when it comes to language, orcas may be as sophisticated as humans (Crawford, 2013). Some scientists have devoted their entire lives to cracking the code of the orca language and learning how to speak to these animals, but to no avail. Where humans have failed, however, drones may succeed, especially one drone in particular: the Wave Glider SV3 by liquid robotics.

The Wave Glider is a fully autonomous surface unmanned maritime vehicle (UMV) that has achieved record-breaking feats of autonomous sailing (Coxworth, 2012). Highly modular, it can be fitted with a variety of devices for observation and research. It can also be fitted with recording devices capable of recording the sounds made by killer whales when they communicate. This data, gathered over long periods of time, may give researchers the key they need to finally understand what orcas are saying to each other.

But how would such a research plan be implemented? And how would it deal with four key issues of drone use, namely privacy, ethics, safety, and loss of link/loss of system control?

Step one, in my opinion, is to introduce the Wave Glider into waters near the orca pod it is directed to follow. The drone needs to be close enough to the pod to record both video and audio and to allow the whales to become accustomed to its presence, but far enough away to not be considered a threat. This keeping of distance would preserve the whales’ privacy, which is key to keeping the drone operational. If the orcas perceive the Wave Glider as a threat, the drone will literally be dead in the water.

Step two is to follow the designated pod. This would present the most difficult challenge, as killer whales travel much faster than the Wave Glider. The best solution here may be to leave the UMV in the whales’ territory, knowing that they will come back.

Step three is to record and transmit as much audio and video data as possible. Linking visuals to sound is key to interpreting what the whales are saying, and the more data is gathered, the better.

It’s a simple plan, but I think it can work, once the other aspects of drone use are taken into consideration.

We’ve already covered privacy; the Wave Glider needs to respect the privacy of the whales, or risk being upended and torn apart. What about ethics, however? Is it ethical to spy on these animals (which some believe have the intelligence of humans) to try and decipher their language?

I believe the answer is yes, as long as that knowledge is put to ethical use. If we ever gain the ability to communicate with killer whales, we can use that ability to guide them out of potentially dangerous or overfished waters and to a location more suitable for the pod.

Safety plays a big part in this project as well, with the safety of the whales and other marine life being paramount. Again, if the whales regard the Wave Glider as a threat, they may smash into it to damage it and hurt themselves in the process. This is where gradual introduction of the Wave Glider in the orcas’ environment is crucial. I know from experience that orcas will tolerate small boats within a few hundred yards of their location, because I did a kayak whale-watching tour in 2014 and watched them do exactly that. The key: the whales were used to seeing the kayaks, and knew that they weren’t threats.

Loss of link/loss of system control is the final consideration, and an important one. Losing connection to the drone would negate the value of the experiment. Loss of system control may mean the drone wandering out of the whales’ territory, or worse – getting too close to the whales and getting demolished in the process. This can only be mitigated by periodic human monitoring and blind luck. Having a human repair and retrieval team on standby would negate the efficacy and cost savings of the experiment; if a human crew can be in the water watching the drone, it can also be in the water watching the whales themselves. Periodic monitoring, however, would identify problems within a reasonable amount of time and give a response team the chance to go to the drone and correct the issue. Ultimately, though, being problem-free will come down to preparation and luck. Prepare the drone for the mission as best as possible, then trust luck to take it the rest of the way.

Killer whales talk, but no one knows what they’re saying. The Wave Glider SV3 can help change that.

References

Coxworth, B. (2012). Wave Glider aquatic robots set world record. Retrieved from

     

     https://newatlas.com/wave-gliders-set-record/21840/

Crawford, L. (2013). Killer whales are non-human persons. Retrieved from

         

     http://greymattersjournal.com/killer-whales-are-non-human-persons/

Stiffler, L. (2011). Understanding orca culture. Retrieved from

     

     https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/understanding-orca-culture-12494696/