Unamanned Aerial Vehicles

Its a funny IT world in Kenya. Most gurus, or those who claim to be; are confined to software or networks or servicing. A friend of mine challenged me the other day when he asked me whether I could develop a software for a Drone a.k.a UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Its either out of my ignorance or stupidity but this guy caught me off guard. Honestly speaking I only saw such stuff in Stargate, found them fascinating but it ended as that. Fascination. I didn't give the UAVs much thought, not that I usually give much thought to everything fascinating but being an IT guru in my own right, I should have.

What are UAVs? You may be asking or not, depending on whether you are inquisitive or just dull;

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV; also known as a remotely piloted vehicle or RPV, or Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)) is an aircraft that flies without a human crew on board the aircraft. Their largest uses are in military applications. To distinguish UAVs from missiles, a UAV is defined as a reusable, uncrewed vehicle capable of controlled, sustained, level flight and powered by a jet or reciprocating engine.


Historically, UAVs were simple drones (remotely piloted aircraft), but autonomous control is increasingly being employed in UAVs. UAVs come in two varieties: some are controlled from a remote location, and others fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans using more complex dynamic automation systems.

UAVs typically fall into one of six functional categories (although multi-role airframe platforms are becoming more prevalent):

• Target and decoy - providing ground and aerial gunnery a target that simulates an enemy aircraft or missile
• Reconnaissance - providing battlefield intelligence
• Combat - providing attack capability for high-risk missions
• Logistics - UAVs specifically designed for cargo and logistics operation
• Research and development - used to further develop UAV technologies to be integrated into field deployed UAV aircraft
• Civil and Commercial UAVs - UAVs specifically designed for civil and commercial applications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle 

 Why write about UAVs?
Am yet to meet someone who deals with such kind of stuff. Hardware interfacing is something most developers dread. I am aware of some commendable developments in robotics and kudoz to those developers. This is a call to all Developers and IT enthusiasts at large.
Is this an area we are neglecting/ignoring? are we deliberately limiting our capacities? is there any hope in this area? Where do our industries get their systems from? can they be made by local engineers?

Have an unmanned development! Won't you?