[MUSIC PLAYING] NARRATOR: A commercial drone
is a small, unmanned aircraft with an onboard camera. It can capture a bird's
eye view of the ground, collecting up to the minute
data useful for many types of applications. They're used to plant
infrastructure projects, oversee natural resources,
and manage farmland. [MUSIC PLAYING] Spanning about five
feet in diameter, this commercial drone is
also known as an octo copter. It has eight rotors, which
enable it to maneuver in the air like a helicopter. The drone's components
are made of carbon fiber, a highly stiff,
strong, and durable material. Carbon fiber is
also lightweight, a critical factor in aviation. Computer guided milling
machine cuts to parts. A technician manually
sands their edges smooth. This component makes up half
of one of the drone's legs. The mill cuts out the
top and bottom frames for the drone's body. Technicians then assemble
the two halves of each leg. Some of the drone's components
are produced by a 3D printer. The printer builds each
part layer by layer out of a thin stream of plastic. This is one of the drone's
eight armed receptacles. A technician drills a hole
where the arm will be fitted. The hole must be precise
to ensure a secure fit. After verifying its diameter
with digital calipers, the technician installs the
back part of the receptacle, and the lever that clamps the
inserted arm firmly in place. He attaches an electronic
speed controller to one end. Then he screws the receptacle
to the bottom frame of the drone's body. The wires coming out the
other end of the controller connect to an electrical power
harness and to the autopilot. The autopilot is the onboard
computer that runs the drone. He installs the seven
remaining receptacles, then the power harness. It has eight connectors, one
for each electronic speed controller. Next, he attaches
the top frame, then the payload mount that holds
the camera and hard drive. He links the payload mount
to a servo motor, which is guided by the autopilot. The drone's body is
protected by a cover. Workers mount a sheet of plastic
on a vacuum former machine. They start up the machine's
heating element and position the plastic just beneath it. This gradually heats the
plastic to a malleable state. Once the plastic is soft,
they position a wooden mold on the machine, activate
the suction, then drop the sheet onto the mold. The vacuum draws the
plastic tightly against it. They let the vacuum-formed
plastic cool and harden, then carefully trim
off the excess. They cut out a rough opening
for the payload mount. Through that opening
they secure the cover to the computer guided
milling machine, which finalizes the shape
to precise specifications. Once the cover is finished, they
install it on the top frame. They attach the four
legs to the bottom frame. Then they install the camera
onto the payload mount. The mount pivots to angle
the camera at the ground. They insert and clamp the
arms into the receptacles. Each arm is a carbon fiber
tube with a plastic rotor that's driven by a
small motor underneath. Upon inserting an arm,
its motor makes contact with its electronic
speed controller. They also install the autopilot. The autopilot executes
the programmed flight path and operates the
camera, the servo motor that moves the payload, and the
electronic speed controllers. The drone operator can
communicate wirelessly with the autopilot
using a remote control, but it's more common
to program the GPS coordinates of the drone's
route prior to take off.
