Goal: Understand how human abilities, qualities, and habits are enhanced by technology such as remotely operated planes and other exploratory vehicles.

Time Required: 40 minutes

Materials Required:Chalk, pencil/pen, Intelligent Vehicles Student Reproducible 2 (PDF)

Directions:
1. Write “drone” on the board and have students brainstorm definitions. (Possible answers may include: bees, robots, machines, nonthinking, etc.) Discuss how you will focus on the definition of a drone as an unmanned airplane that is guided by a remote control.

2. Introduce the Global Hawk (www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=175) as one example of an unmanned plane that is used to survey regions that are too dangerous for humans to explore, find missing people or vehicles, and survey/search in dangerous weather or enemy terrain.

3. Have students think about why it might be beneficial to use an unmanned aircraft (e.g., can help humans learn about the oceans, the hottest volcanoes, or other places that are too dangerous or small to visit).

4. Distribute Intelligent Vehicles Student Reproducible 2 (PDF) and discuss and answer the questions as a class:

• There are times when humans use machines to reach places without being inside the vehicles. These unmanned vehicles allow humans to reach places that are too deep or far away in space. These vehicles include deep-sea robot submersibles, satellites, vehicles for space exploration, and unmanned planes.
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also called drone planes, are used by many groups and organizations around the world for many reasons. Global Hawk is one example of an UAV that uses preprogrammed flight controls to tell it where to fly. Other UAVs use cameras and other flight equipment and pilots sitting many miles away controlling the UAV by remote control.
• Knowing the reasons why a Global Hawk or any other unmanned vehicle may be used and the skills and talents one may need to successfully operate them, describe and predict how these skills and talents needed may affect how people learn, travel, or interact with the environment.