Unmanned Systems Emerge

One of the important technological developments of the 20th century was the automobile. The arrival of the automobile spawned an industry that rapidly expanded when it caught the attention and fascination of the public. Because of the development of innovative manufacturing technology that began in the automotive industry, society was forever changed. The impact on society was profound.

Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution, and author of Wired for War, believes that we are now in the horseless carriage stage of the unmanned systems industry. As Singer points out, a revolution is taking place in the suburban garages and small laboratories across the nation rather than the large R&D institutions. The current unmanned systems industry is similar to the early years of the automobile industry where, prior to 1912, there were 75 different small automobile manufacturers, eventually distilling into the Big 3. Even the use of the term unmanned is similar to the term horseless. We still describe the technology in terms of what we see as missing, instead of what we see for its potential.

Military use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has captured the fascination of the public. The daily news is full of stories about drone attacks and drone missions around the globe, so why is the public suddenly fascinated by this technology?

"The last century of aerospace has been about platform improvements; Wright Flyer, metal monoplanes, jets, stealth, etc.," says Robert Smith of the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, OH. "But, the difference in recent decades – as evidenced by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – is the emergence of new capabilities that can be enabled through systems of system integration of aircraft, communications, computers, control, etc. This challenge is not unique to UAS but is the critical challenge for UAS capabilities."

Without the need to accommodate a pilot or passengers, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) reduces to the size of a bird, or even an insect. This is in contrast to manned aircraft where the Wright Flyer established an effective lower size limit for aircraft that lasted for almost a century. When deployed in large numbers, these smaller UAVs can operate as a part of intelligent teams or swarms. For example, Dr. Brian Argrow, director, Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles, University of Colorado Boulder, led the development effort for the Tempest Unmanned Aircraft System – the first UAV to collect temperature, pressure, and humidity data in a supercell thunderstorm. Dr. Argrow states that, "Future deployments of teams of intelligent and autonomous UAS will enable unprecedented, multi-scale volumetric sensing with the ability to target and track specific weather phenomena."

The reduction in size along with the potential need for large numbers of intelligent autonomous smaller vehicles has created an array of engineering and manufacturing challenges. Multi-functional materials and designs, innovative energy storage technology, morphing structures, and complex sensor technology all require manufacturing innovation. Limitations in communications bandwidth will require more of the complex computational operations to be performed on the vehicle platform itself, having design implications for size, weight, and power (SWaP). Advances in actuator technology will be necessary to adhere to SWaP constraints as engineers utilize concepts of bio-mimicry to begin to mimic the flight behavior of real birds. SWaP constraints will require principles of multi-functional design, The Tepest UAS prepares for take-off just minutes prior to the arival of a supercell tornado near Deer Trail, CO, on June 10, 2010.where design of components is to serve multiple purposes and functions in order to reduce weight. For example, the use of batteries as structural members, or wings may contain embedded antennas. As a result, the manufacturing processes for these smaller vehicles will begin to resemble the manufacturing and production processes used in the electronics and semiconductor industries, rather than the assembly line type processes we have grown accustomed to seeing in aircraft and automobile production processes.

It is also likely that the developments in the enabling technology required for small UAVs will track more closely to the electronics industry rather than what we traditionally think of with the aerospace industry. Since small UAVs will need innovative new energy storage technologies, new sensor technology, and increasingly higher levels of integration of components within smaller and smaller footprints, the development of revolutionary manufacturing innovations will be critical.

As small UAVs are developed, the concept of expendability will alter the design culture for aerospace engineers and designers involved with UAS development. Low-cost and high volume manufacturing and production processes will be required. Advanced manufacturing techniques and rapid prototyping capabilities will be necessary. For example, a recent solicitation from the Air Force Research Laboratory sought contractors capable of providing rapid prototyping services to print small UAVs using methods such as fused deposition modeling and other rapid prototyping technologies. Based on a previous pilot effort to produce, rapidly, small UAVs for specific mission requirements is the program, Manufacturing Technologies for Remotely Piloted Vehicles (MaTeR). The goal of the MaTeR program is to develop and transmit digital design files to mission locations throughout the globe, producing customized small UAVs using FDM and other rapid prototyping technology in a fraction of the time required for typical system development.

Although military operation of UAVs continues to grow exponentially, we have not yet realized the commercial potential of UAVs. We are still slow to dream about the plethora of potential non-military applications and opportunities. Nevertheless, society was quick to identify and exploit the opportunities to use automobiles, so why not UAVs? Part of the answer involves the public perception of safety.

Robert Smith says, "Automation pervades every aspect of our lives and most of it goes unseen and accepted. But even in the auto industry there are greater and greater amounts of automation that visibly and directly interacts with the operator of the vehicle: automatic parallel parking systems, proximity systems that adjust vehicle speed, etc." Smith adds that, "Regulatory and cultural acceptance of these types of systems will progress, but it depends on the very human concept of trust and it takes time to establish trust in new capabilities and systems."

Tempest UAS operators prepare for a mission while waiting at the VORTEX2 armada staging site.The public has grown to take aviation safety for granted, which is a testament to the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It is understandable that there is reluctance to accept anything that might threaten that safety that we so much enjoy. However, this is one of the main differences between the current UAS revolution and the automobile revolution over a century ago. Currently, UAVs may not fly in the national airspace, except under very strict exceptions. Although there were a few, almost comical, local ordinances across the country that restricted operation of horseless carriages, there were no significant legal or regulatory barriers that prevented the operation of automobiles and the rapid expansion of the automobile industry. The expansion of the automobile industry was driven by public's desire to own and operate automobiles and, without regulatory constraints, the industry grew rapidly.

Efforts are underway in Congress to enable the FAA to open the national airspace (NAS) to unmanned aircraft. It will be a gradual process. The first step will permit small UAVs to operate in the NAS, but under strict altitude, weight, and other restrictions. Gradually, in the following years, as safety is determined, larger unmanned aircraft will operate. However, many factors affect the pace of this process. Sense and avoid technology must still be validated and proven. Training and qualification for unmanned aircraft operators must be developed and approved.

When UAVs do operate in the NAS, what happens then? How will our lives change? What will be the economic impact? How will society benefit?

We are now accustomed to hearing the same list of potential applications for commercial unmanned aircraft: first responders and law enforcement, pipeline inspection, aerial photography, and agriculture monitoring. But, are these applications really something that will radically impact mankind? To most of us, they seem rather mundane. Will our economy be significantly impacted by these applications? It is very doubtful.

The reality is that we have not given ourselves the freedom to dream enough yet about the potential applications and the impact on our own lives that unmanned aircraft will offer. In a sense, unmanned aircraft are still somewhat of a novelty in our minds. Yet the societal impact from unmanned aircraft could be far-reaching.

Revolutions in technology can be a social equalizer and narrow the gap between rich and poor. For more than a century, modern telecommunication was only widespread in developed nations because of the enormous cost associated with infrastructure (copper lines, poles, and switching equipment). However, when cellular telephone technology arrived, the use of this technology rapidly expanded in underdeveloped parts of the world. Cell towers could be installed much faster and cheaper than the enormous amount of copper (or fiber) that was required to wire a nation. Within a single generation, most of the world went from isolation to being globally connected.

Will unmanned systems have that type of impact on society? What happens when high altitude unmanned aircraft are developed that can remain aloft for years using only solar power? What opportunities will this persistent type of operation create for society and our economies? What happens when swarms of small micro air vehicles operate and collaborate with sensor data? What will be the impact for environmental and meteorological monitoring and observation? What are the possibilities?

In the 1980 science fiction book, Changeling, by Roger Zelazny, small autonomous surveillance aircraft called tracer-birds used thermals to remain aloft, indefinitely, to relentlessly pursue their targets. Thirty years later, we are witnessing this type of science fiction become reality, as UAVs are now an important part of our military strength and capability. Ahead of us are technological, as well as ethical and moral challenges, as we continue to expand military use of UAVs and seek non-military applications of this technology. We are truly in the golden age of UAS.

Design Intelligence Inc. LLC
Norman,OK
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