Drones help scientists perform research from a new perspective | Sci NC

Описание: Engineers are using robots in the sky to answer questions like never before.For more information: http://science.unctv.org/content/eyes... or http://news.wfu.edu/2014/02/25/media-...

Engineers are using robots in the sky to answer questions like never before. As debates over drone aircrafts continue, researchers at Wake Forest University are testing new ways to use the technology. Biology professor and director of the Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Miles Silman, along with biology graduate student Max Messinger observe and measure the amount of coal deposited into Dan River from the Duke Energy coal ash spill by compiling images and creating a 3-D model of the spill site. Drones usually fly on a pre-programmed route, but the controller of the specific drone toggle switches on the controller to guide the craft. With this controlled drone technology, researchers plan to use the drones to study the effects of climate change on the Amazon rainforest by focusing in on the western Amazon region of Madre de Dios, in Peru. Although drones have been considered dangerous in the past, Silman and Messinger use the drones as a new toolkit to understand the world around us. Watch as engineers use robots in the sky to answer questions like never before.

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