UAVs were first introduced to the United States Military because of their ability to be controlled remotely. The first UAVs were not very sophisticated, because they only had the capability to fly along pre-set paths and they operated off of an internal navigation system. Eventually, the servicemen began to informally refer to any machine that flew without the control of humans onboard as a “drone.”

The idea behind the drone is a category that refers to any unmanned, remotely piloted flying craft that ranges from anything as small as a radio-controlled toy helicopter to a 32,000-pound, $104 million Global Hawk.

To further clarify things, there are many names that drones can be called, and most of these names come from the military. For instance, drones have been described by the military as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs), Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and Remotely Piloted Systems (RPSs).

Let’s take a look at some of the most common and iconic military drones!

RQ-11 Raven– This drone weighs four pounds and can be launched just by throwing it. Once it is airborne, it’s then piloted by a hand-held unit that resembles a video-game controller. This is the most commonly used drone and more than 19,000 have been built. This drone is mainly used for exploring around corners and sending video footage of rooftops back to troops as they move through a city.

MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper- These are the most iconic of the drones because they can be armed and have become the preferred tool for drone strikes. There is, however, a main difference between them, and that is that the newer Reaper is bigger and has a more powerful engine that also has the ability to carry much more than before.

RQ-4 Global Hawk- This drone is 32,000 pounds, has a 130-foot wingspan and has the ability to fly for more than a day. The Global Hawk can go up to 60,000 feet and can take high-resolution images and detect and track moving targets on the land below from high elevations.

Just as the invention of the drone can be used for military purposes, they also can be used for civilian purposes as well.

Just this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified two types of unmanned aircraft that were created for civilian use. The new drones are Institu’s Scan Eagle X200 and the AeroVironment’s PUMA. Both of these drones are about 4.5 feet long, have wingspans of nine and 10 feet and weigh less than 55 pounds.

The Scan Eagle was used by a major energy company off of the Alaskan coast that surveyed ice flows and migrating whales. The PUMA, on the other hand, is expected to be used in order to support emergency response crews for wildlife surveillance and monitor oil spills over the Beaufort Sea.

As you can see, drones are predominately used by our military, however, there are new drones being used for civilian purposes as well! But, for the most part, the usage of drones in the United States has commonly been limited to police and other government agencies.

Like we said before, Amazon is working on a project to one day use drones for their delivery system, so, it might only be a matter of time before more and more drones are being used for commercial purposes. As always, time and technology will tell if these plans will actually come to fruition!

Copyright Davison 2013

Sources:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-03/drone-any-other-name

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/27/faa-drones-civilian-use_n_3662269.html

Images:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RQ-11_Raven_2.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RQ-1_Predator.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/MQ-9_Reaper_CBP.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_Hawk_1.jpg

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So, you give the entire Davison team just under a couple of weeks to make a contribution to a local charity toy drive and what happens?

They come through with flying colors, of course!  This year, Davison’s contribution to the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots drive was a whopping 224 toys!

According to our President, Mr. Vescio, those contributions certainly did not go unnoticed.

“Seeing the pile of toys waiting to be picked up was a great reminder of the selfless efforts that people put forth each year to ensure that children around [Pittsburgh] wake up to a toy Christmas morning.  Thank you to all those that put forth the effort,” said Mr. Vescio.

Speaking of those who put forth a tremendous effort to help with the toy drive… we talked with Director of New Products Melissa Clark, who organized the event.  Needless to say, she was pleased with the outcome.

“This year, in the time that we had to pull this off, I think it turned out great…” said Clark. “Just seeing their eyes light up with all the toys brought us great joy.  It is an overwhelming feeling that you really can’t describe in words.  Just knowing what you have accomplished and the joy you are bringing to little kids is all worth it.”

Founder and CEO George Davison said he could not agree more.

“What are we all doing this for if it isn’t for the next generation?  Bringing joy and hope to others gives us hope that they will one day give back to make a better life for others, too,” said George Davison.

Clark was quick to attribute this year’s success to all the help she received during the drive.

“I had some great help with this year’s drive.  Rebecca Leff and Hilary Armstrong helped me here at RIDC Park and Bryan Younkin took care of it at our Irwin location. It makes me feel very good that there are a lot of people out there that came together and bought the toys and knowing that we work with a great bunch is a great feeling. I am just happy that we came together as a team and we now have a ton of toys to give to these children.  So, I do want to send a big thank you to all [who] participated,” said Clark.

Thank you to everyone that participated!  Happy Holidays!

The post Davison Team Comes Together in Toys For Tots Drive appeared first on Davison.

George Davison (CEO & Founder of Davison) and the inventor of the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan Joseph Springer (as part of his Dare to Invent episode) will be featured on the next episode of Lifetime’s “The Balancing Act,” America’s premier one-hour women’s morning show dedicated to creating trusted solutions for today’s woman.

Mr. Davison and host Danielle Knox (Wednesday, August 1st at 7:00 a.m.) will discuss the ins and outs of the Davison Inventing method and the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan before and after the airing of Joe’s episode of “Dare to Invent” – the webisode series that explores what can happen when everyday people work with Davison to make their invention ideas a reality.

Marines are tough and their brownies should be as well, at least according to Silicone Dessert Bar Pan inventor Joe Springer. Joe preferred the crispy edges of his baked goods so much that he would pilfer the crusty corners of his family’s freshly baked brownies.

“I would cut around the edges and my wife and mother in-law would yell. Of course, it was me,” exclaims Springer. Joe created the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan to relieve himself of his brownie-bandit ways and to provide others with a neater and easier way to bake brownies and other desserts. Brownies often bake unevenly, then crumble and end up different sizes when cutting and lifting them out of a standard pan. A metal pan is also hot to the touch for a long time after removal from the oven.

Davison Creationeers created the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan to simplify and streamline the brownie-baking process. Unlike metal bakeware, the pan is flexible and remains cool to the touch. The 12 candy-bar shaped molds can be filled with brownie batter, Rice Krispie treats or cookie dough, and each piece comes out perfect! The pan bends for easy removal of items after baking, while the rigid frame molded into the perimeter makes the pan safe to carry. It is also dishwasher safe.

More Dare to Invent episodes and Mr. Davison will be featured on “The Balancing Act” in the next several months.  We will keep you updated on dates and times.

Lifetime Network’s “The Balancing Act” treats viewers to the most current and hot topics, while featuring some of the hottest celebs from the sports and entertainment industry.

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