The future of Unmanned Aircraft System
Based on the article: Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones (Floreano & Wood,2015) The more the aircraft is miniaturized, the more complex and challenging become its design and its manufacturing to ensure the propulsion and aerodynamic performance. Floreano and Wood recognize challenges, such as "the reduced power density of electromagnetic motors, decreased transmission efficiency owing to the increased dominance of friction from gears and bearings, and greater viscous losses because of reduced Reynolds numbers " that must be considered at system design level for fixed-wing, rotorcraft or hybrid unmanned aircraft vehicle. The rotorcraft loses the propulsion performance the smaller the vehicle get; however, the UAV becomes more maneuverable because of a lower Reynolds number while a smaller fixed-wing aircraft will experience a low lift-to-drag ration, say Foreano and Wood (2015). The manufacturer must also anticipate the challenges relate to the...