Innovation vs Public Safety

[FoxKat]

Ok, think about that for a minute...

What drone has a 60 or so mile round trip capability, with half of that with it carrying the cargo...

How much lift and battery power do you think these things have? A two hour or so round trip, with a single charge?

I just don't see it.

Another thing regarding power or perhaps better said, fuel is that there are other forms of energy and other forms of motors to drive the propulsion. It's entirely possible the fuel and motor won't be battery and electric. It could be Hydrogen fuel cell and electric, another form of fuel and combustion engine, lots of hybrid variations.

 

[cr6]

I imagine most of these multi million dollar companies who were able to get on the above list, won't be using your garden variety drone you can pick up from Best Buy. With as strict as the FAA currently is with American airspace, I would think the rules & regulations they put into place will be pretty stringent.

S5 tap'n

 

[SquireSCA]

Another thing regarding power or perhaps better said, fuel is that there are other forms of energy and other forms of motors to drive the propulsion. It's entirely possible the fuel and motor won't be battery and electric. It could be Hydrogen fuel cell and electric, another form of fuel and combustion engine, lots of hybrid variations.

How big would they have to be to carry metal tanks for compressed hydrogen that would not risk a rupture if they were to fall 100 feet and land on concrete?

 

[mountainbikermark]

How big would they have to be to carry metal tanks for compressed hydrogen that would not risk a rupture if they were to fall 100 feet and land on concrete?

Back in the 70s Overnite trucking company ran their entire fleet on liquid nitrogen. I remember because the article stated that their tanks and storage tanks were so well insulated and safe that if you put a cup of coffee in one it'd still be drinkable warm in 60 years. Super cheap diesel prices during the 90s became more cost efficient thus they went back to diesel.
We old farts remember much of what is being released today, talked about for the near future, etc, was tried back in the 70s out of desperation because of the oil embargo, it's just fancier now due to such improvement in technology. As far as flying delivery vehicles, does anyone remember the Jetsons? Spacely Sprockets vs Cogswell Cogs?

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

 

[Efin]

I think you're thinking of transportation of the liquid nitrogen, not engines running off of it.

 

[mountainbikermark]

No, their engines ran on it. many bus companies in big cities toyed with it for pollution standard reasoning as well. My first full time job at a builders supply had its entire fleet of mid 70s trucks running on propane until they started replacing them with diesel running trucks in the latter 80s
During the Carter years there were stipends for companies that used alternative fuel to meet pollution standards and improve fuel economy while also helping alleviate the fuel crisis.
Efin you're probably old enough to remember many a house with those huge solar panels on them and during the early 80s huge housing boom the number of "solar" homes built. It was a fancy term for lots of windows and sky lights plus a solar panel to heat your hot water that got you a tax credit for owning. Virginia offered a tax credit for years to home owners that upgraded their heat/ac to geo thermal systems plus Va Power gave a rate decrease and a check to help pay the cost of the systems, like 50% of the cost plus 25% rate per KW decrease for as long as you used the system.

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

 

[Efin]

Propane yes, not liquid Nitrogen.

 

[mountainbikermark]

Propane yes, not liquid Nitrogen.

No. Liquid Nitrogen
Why is liquid nitrogen used as a fuel in place of petrol diesel etc and why can t we use water instead - ResearchGate
Same principle as co2 in paint ball guns

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

 

[FoxKat]

How big would they have to be to carry metal tanks for compressed hydrogen that would not risk a rupture if they were to fall 100 feet and land on concrete?

Who said anything about compressed liquid hydrogen? Hydrogen can be stored in an explosive safe solid or extrapolated from less volatile hydrogen compounds. Examples are lithium, boron and aluminium based compounds such as lithium hydride, sodium borohydride, lithium aluminium hydride and ammonia borane. These can safely store hydrogen that in their solid states are completely safe from fire and explosion but can then release the hydrogen to fuel a PEM Fuel Cell.

Other hydrocarbon based liquids can also be used but you may have a liquid (such as gasoline), that is essentially a Molotov Cocktail.

Butane (C4H10), is another relatively stable form of liquid fuel that is light and yields Hydrogen at a high rate. It is compressed but at relatively low pressure (only 20 psi at 80 degrees), so it is very safe compared to compressed liquid hydrogen which is stored at high pressure and requires heavy tanks to contain it, or gasoline which remains a liquid for a far greater period of time. Butane vaporizes quickly so it wouldn't be a shower of liquid gasoline if it ruptured, and doesn't require heavy tanks to contain it.

There are many possible alternatives to battery storage of power and I'm just mentioning a few.

 

[pc747]

Update to this topic.

​

Watch the first FAA-approved delivery drone drop medicine down to rural Virginians The Verge

 

[Efin]

All in all the appropriate regulations need to be in place, proper routes etc.
Recently in San Bernardino, CA on the route to Las Vegas a fire fighting effort was hampered and even stopped because some idiot with a drone was checking out the fire. All air drop efforts for almost 1/2 hr was stopped causing more damage to property.
Drones visit California wildfire angering firefighters - CNN.com

 

[SquireSCA]

All in all the appropriate regulations need to be in place, proper routes etc.
Recently in San Bernardino, CA on the route to Las Vegas a fire fighting effort was hampered and even stopped because some idiot with a drone was checking out the fire. All air drop efforts for 1/2 hr was stopped causing more damage to property.

Exactly... Now imagine hundreds or thousands of these things in the air, not just when firefighters are trying to work, but police helicopters are chasing someone, or a traffic copter making their rounds...

I don't see how a drone would take one down, but I guess if a stupid seagull or goose can take down a heli or an airliner, a drone could cause similar issues...

If you need your medicine that bad, go to the store or have someone just deliver it to you normally...

 

[94lt1]

Choppers are easy to knock down..if they damage the shape of their rotors is a big one..from what I'm told..idk..

I can see this working...there's thousands of feet of sky and the drones could operate in corridors only a few hundred feet off the ground..until idiots start knocking them down...

Also..if a rescue flight or police need to go through they would "drop to level safe" which would be their altitude restrictions or land until the impending traffic was gone...

I see these operating like parrots.. Not via individual stick jockies..these will be ran on a program with coordinates added...at the tap of the screen...parrots will go to predetermined altitudes. Be it 10 feet. 100 feet...obviously these will have the capability to fly higher and faster ..but this should be able to be done if they use their heads..they would navigate via way points, and probably drop from a roof of a tall building.. That's the only way I can see the line of site working well..unless they find a way for them to only need to communicate with their signals sporadically.. Like...make it to these check points...check back in for updates...

Or they could use WiFi or other mobile network interfaces to track and communicate...this is actually sounding pretty interesting to me..might be the next big "fair weather" thing..until drones are able to fly in rain and snow and bad conditions ..

Drawbacks..not being able to effectively communicate with the drones around tall buildings and mountains..
Trouble makers scrambling the drone signals to knock em out of the sky and possibly steal their "cargo".
They will need to find ways to " verify" that you received your order..people rip off amazon all the time by saying they didn't get their order..so..a cheap GPS tracker on each package ?? Idk...

 

[xeene]

I need a big enough Drone to transport my ass to work and back. Forget this driving stuff. That's so 21st century!

 

[pc747]

http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/25/9208271/california-ban-drones-trespassing-private-property