Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

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What Does Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Mean?

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a type of aircraft that operates without a human pilot onboard. Recent technologies have allowed for the development of many different kinds of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles used for various purposes.

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An unmanned aerial vehicle is also known as a drone.

Techopedia Explains Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Over just a few decades, the unmanned aerial vehicle has gone from a science fiction concept to an everyday reality. Many of these applications were developed in the military, and the general public has seen UAVs evolve as spy or reconnaissance vehicles used during wartime. However, recently consumers have also seen the development of these types of aircraft for public markets.

Remote control airplanes and helicopters can also be classified as UAVs when they have particular kinds of performance and remote control capabilities. One example is the proposed use of flying robots, or UAVs, to deliver packages.

Although the technology has become relatively common, the unmanned aerial vehicle is often still associated with military objectives. The use of UAVs for surveillance is a controversial topic. Other lower-profile uses for unmanned aerial vehicles include firefighting and police use, as well as other kinds of domestic surveillance.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.