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Flying was a huge dream for humanity since always. We would watch airplanes fly thousands of feet in the air, but it was impossible to fly through them. Others use drones for very important work, like delivering medicine to people who need it, or taking pictures in places that are too risky for people to visit.
Today we are looking at one specific type of drone — the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. And that makes these drones special with incredible capabilities!
What Are VTOL Drones?
The VTOL drones take off and land straight up, like a helicopter does. This is an incredibly useful feature, because it enables them to fly in tight spaces, hover in place, and lift or set down without the need for a long runway. This comes in especially handy in tighter spaces or in busy areas. But building VTOL drones is much more difficult than building ordinary fixed wing mapping drone or airplanes.
The motors, rotors, and batteries all have to be robust enough to pull the drone off the ground and keep it aloft, and also maneuver it through the air in a controlled way in all four cardinal directions. However, sensors, cameras, and GPS systems play a very important role as well. They need to be trustworthy and give real-time information on where the drone is flying and what is nearby. The software — the written instructions that tell the drone what to do — must be intelligent and flexible. This allows the drone to follow some path in the air and instinctively dodge any way it can. Then, all of these components need to be designed carefully and accurately in order to protect them and guarantee that they are working together efficiently.
Flying Safely
VTOL drones take a lot of careful flying and landing. If they go off course, or the rotors are not in alignments — this may result in the crashed of best fixed wing drone, which is not good. Hence, they require more sophisticated control systems. These systems can adjust how fast and powerful each rotor's spin is + independently, which is critical for maintaining balance and flying straight. Special sensors are also employed to assist the drone detect even minute changes in its motion. In this way, it can rapidly correct its flight path and remain on course. Also when the time comes to land, the drone must be able to land softly and gently without damaging itself or damaging something nearby.
They may need to operate in temperatures above the tolerability limit, at extreme altitudes, in high winds, heavy rain, or dusty conditions. For this reason, they have to be very sturdy and last for a long time. The drone also needs to be light, though nobody wants a paper- aeroplane that wont survive a good gust of wind, so you pretty much aim for balance. In addition, all the drone compartments should be well sealed to prevent water, dust and other harmful substances from getting in. In addition, VTOL drones need backup systems — these are redundancies. These systems prevent big problems, and these systems make sure that, if something goes wrong, the drone can come home anyway.
Navigating with VTOL Drones
VTOL drones encounter unique challenges in terms of navigation. VTOL drones tend to fly low to the ground, or even in/around tall buildings which cannot be said about other types of regular large fixed wing drone or airplanes since they do fly over higher up in the sky. This means it is more difficult for GPS signals to access them and get correct data on their location. VTOL drones also need the ability to avoid obstacles and fly in tight spaces, an effort that requires advanced sensing technology.