Drones are being used amply in school education: Here’s how
A drone or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a flying robot that can be controlled remotely or be flown autonomously through software-controlled flight plans, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) detectors, sensors, and a global positioning system. Having pioneered unique fixed and rotary-wing unmanned vehicles, Abraham Karem is considered as the father of drone (UAV) technology. Historically, drones have been used for anti-aircraft target practice, intelligence gathering, surveillance, post-disaster search operations, filming and communication in remote areas.
What started as a military warfare tool is now being used for multi-utility purposes. In other words, nowadays drones are being used for scientific, recreational and agricultural purposes, product delivery, aerial photography, infrastructure inspections and other commercial and civil government uses. Apart from these, the use of drones for imparting education in Indian schools has also been on the rise. Read on to know how.
Using drones to teach Mathematics
Primary and middle schoolers often find Maths to be a tough and abstract subject to study. To make Math concepts interesting, some schools have been using drones to teach young learners. For instance, students may learn about distance and time by using drones. They can also learn about graph creation and trigonometry by watching the drone's flight path.
Making Physics fun through drones
If studying Newton’s laws of motion or the law of gravity put students to sleep, using drones while studying the laws of Physics can be the solution. For example, to demonstrate the law of gravity, teachers may fly the drone a few inches or a feet above a soft surface while turning off all controls. The drone, as students would see, falls to the ground nearly instantly due to the earth’s gravitational pull. Moreover, for kids, putting together a drone may be a fun learning experience. The roles of all the components — the electronic speed controller (ESC), flight controller, and propellers — can help them understand physics and aerodynamics better.
Studying Social Studies through drones
Explaining concepts that spread over a large geographical area can be tricky within the confines of a classroom. Taking help of a flying drone that would move over a particular piece of ground to show students how that visual is being represented on a topographic map can make it easier for students to learn about such topics and themes.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DRONES
During World War I, Britain and the United States created the first pilotless vehicles. Aerial Target, a small radio-controlled aircraft developed by Britain, flew for the first time in March 1917, while the Kettering Bug, an American aerial torpedo, flew for the first time in October 1918. Despite showing a potential in flying tests, neither was employed in combat during the war.
However, India's drone history stretches back to the 1990s, when the Indian Army purchased unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel, followed by the Indian Air Force and Navy. During the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, India first utilised military drones for photo surveillance along the Line of Control. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation regulates the use of all (manned or automated) aerial vehicles in India.