Chapter II
REVIEW OF LITERATURES AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the related literature and studies of different published books and
researches.
Related literature
These are basically the main component of a drone. It needs to have all of these in order
to have a working drone.
Figure2.1: Quadcopter ([Link]
Basic components of a drone
1. Standard Propellers – responsible for the direction and motion of the drone, the “tractor”
propeller is the props at the front of the quadcopter. These props pull the quadcopter
through the air like a tractor.
2. Pusher Propellers – located at the back and push the UAV forward hence the name
“Pusher props”. These contra-rotating props exactly cancel out motor torques during
stationary level flight.
3. Brushless Motors – connected to the propellers and causes it to spin
Figure 2.2: Brushless motor ([Link]
4. Landing Gear – increase the safety of the drone. Most drones have a fixed landing gear,
however, the best drones will have retractable landing gear giving a full 360 degree view.
5. Electronic Speed Controllers – an electronic circuit with the purpose to vary an electric
motor’s speed, its direction and possibly also to act as a dynamic brake. It converts DC
battery power into 3-phase AC for driving brushless motors.
6. Flight Controller – basically the motherboard of the drone
7. The Receiver – responsible for the reception of the radio signals sent to the drone through
the controller.
8. The Transmitter – responsible for the transmission of the radio signals from the controller
to the drone to issue commands of flight and directions.
9. GPS Module – often combines GPS receiver and magnetometer to provide latitude,
longitude, elevation, and compass heading from a single device. Helps drone navigate
longer distances and capture details of specific locations on land.
10. Battery – part of the drone that makes all actions and reactions possible. Without the
battery, the drone would have no power and would therefore not be able to fly.
Figure 2.3: Battery ([Link]
11. Camera – some drones come with an inbuilt camera while others have a detachable
camera. The camera helps in taking photos and images from above which forms an
important use of drones.
Related studies
E-agriculture in Action: Drones for Agriculture (2018)
The convergence of the drone as a platform for various sensors with machine learning-
based intelligent processing and analysis software developed a virtually infinite range of
possibilities, maximizing the production and limiting the manned workload even further. This
would in effect lead to an increase in productivity and a decrease in the price of agricultural
products, thus enabling the gap between current production and the needs of the growing global
population to be closed.
Agricultural Innovation and the Role of Institutions: Lessons from the Game of Drones
(2017)
The study expands the understanding of how institutional changes can affect innovation
related to UAS for agricultural use. This article focuses on one part of this high-tech revolution:
the origin, development, applications, and user value of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). UAS
can help farmers cut costs and produce higher quantity with better quality, and also has
environmental benefits.
The Societal Impact of Commercial Drones (2016)
The use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in commercial applications has
the potential to dramatically alter several industries, and, in the process, change our attitudes and
behaviours regarding their impact on our daily lives. The study says that drones are becoming
increasingly important in the fields of science, technology, and how drones influence society.
Assessment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Imagery for Quantitative Monitoring of Wheat
Crop in Small Plots (2008)
Study thus shows that cost-effective UAV multispectral devices are relevant for
quantitative wheat monitoring with a good precision. A cost-effective multispectral sensor was
designed based on commercially available digital cameras, adapted with relevant filters. It was
fitted on light UAVs to perform six aerial acquisitions of wheat crop micro plots during the
growing season, at very low altitude. Resulting images need several preprocessing before use, to
correct vignetting, geometric and resolution-related problems, directional effects, and
radiometric intercalibration.
Precision Agriculture with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles– Master in Sustainable Agriculture
(2016)
As studied by Bradford, et. Al. (2000), The a UAV can be a useful platform for detecting
plant growth and yield variability. Crop yield can be a valuable indicator for farmers who want
to estimate their predicted harvest and income. This gathering data practices can be done with a
few different methods but the most efficient and cost effective way would be to use a UAS. The
process of acquiring these estimations consists of a few steps, like geo referencing the images
and classifying them into zones of homogeneous spectral response using unsupervised
classification procedures. A correlation analysis shows then the correlation to the NIR, red, and
green bands of the colour-infrared (CIR) images and the normalized difference vegetation index
(NDVI).