science

Perdix (drone)

Perdix (drone) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Perdix (drone) rather than just read about it. In short: Perdix drones are the main subject of an experimental project conducted by the Strategic Capabilities Office of the United States Department of Defense which aims to develop autonomous micro-drones to be used for unmanned aerial surveillance. Origin The idea of intelligent micro-drones which could communicate with each other was pioneered by a group of students studying at the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department…

Key takeaways

Perdix (drone) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Perdix (drone) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Perdix (drone) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Perdix drones are the main subject of an experimental project conducted by the Strategic Capabilities Office of the United States Department of Defense which aims to develop autonomous micro-drones to be used for unmanned aerial surveillance.

Origin The idea of intelligent micro-drones which could communicate with each other was pioneered by a group of students studying at the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011. They were subsequently modified for military use in 2013 under the direction of the United States Department of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office. The drone system was named after the character in Greek mythology of the same name.

Autonomy Each individual drone is not controlled in itself but instead it shares a collective, distributed "brain," travelling in leaderless "swarms," members of which can adapt to changes in drone numbers and remain co-ordinated with their counterparts. Having multiple micro-drones carrying out surveillance is tactically advantageous to simply having one large drone because it is easier for the micro-drones to dodge air defense systems. The drones have the ability to collectively determine whether they have completed a mission, leading some commentators to argue that Perdix drones are artificially intelligent.

Testing

The first operational test of the militarized Perdix drones was conducted by the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in September 2014 over Edwards Air Force Base. The drones were placed in the flare canisters of F-16 Fighting Falcon and deployed to operate at a lower altitude. A year later, in September 2015, 90 Perdix missions were flown over Alaska to test maritime surveillance capabilities. In October 2016, 103 Perdix drones were dropped from three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets in a joint effort with the US Naval Air Systems Command over their base at China Lake, California. As with earlier tests, the drones were packed into flare canisters for the jets to eject. The test was a success and elicited significant media coverage when announced on 9 January 2017. These tests conclude that the drones can be safely launched at a speed of Mach 0.6 and in temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F). Photographers shooting a feature of the drones for CBS television program 60 Minutes reportedly almost abandoned attempts to film the drones as their size and speed made getting a focussed image difficult.

Design Perdix drones have two sets of wings which are straddled by a plastic body containing a lithium battery and a small camera. Propulsion is provided by a 2.6 inches (66 mm) propeller at the rear. 3D printing is used to create Perdix drones' bodies while the onboard software can be updated to enable refinements and improvements to be made without having to manufacture a new drone. The Perdix software is currently in its sixth generation and the Department of Defense aims to have the capability to produce the drones in batches of 1,000 in the near future.

Specifications The published specifications of Perdix drones are listed below.

General characteristics Length: 6.5 inches / 165mm Wingspan: 11.8 inches / 300mm Weight: 290 grams Propeller diameter: 2.6 inches / 66mm

Performance Maximum speed: 70 mph / 113 km/h Endurance: 20 minutes

See also MIT discoveries and innovation Defense Innovation Unit Experimental Micro air vehicle

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Perdix (drone)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Perdix (drone) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Perdix (drone) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Perdix (drone) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Perdix (drone)

In research: Perdix (drone) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Perdix (drone) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Perdix (drone) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 3D printed objects, Micro air vehicles, Unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Perdix (drone) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Perdix (drone) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Perdix (drone) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Perdix (drone) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Perdix (drone) in simple terms?

Why does Perdix (drone) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Perdix (drone)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Perdix (drone).