A remote-control vehicle is defined as any

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), ...

that is teleoperated by a means that does not restrict its

motion In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and m ...

with an origin external to the device. This is often a radio-control device, a

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

between the controller and the vehicle, or an

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

controller.

Applications

Scientific

Remote-control vehicles have various scientific uses, including operating in hazardous environments, working in the deep ocean, and space exploration.

Space probes

The majority of probes to other planets in the

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

have been remote-control vehicles, although some of the more recent ones were partially autonomous. The sophistication of these devices has prompted greater debate on the need for crewed spaceflight and exploration. The Voyager I spacecraft is the first craft of any kind to leave the Solar System. The explorers

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

and

Opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...

have provided continuous data about the surface of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

since January 3, 2004.

Submarines

Jason is the

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it ...

's deep water explorer and can withstand depths of up to 6,500 feet. The Scorpio ROV is a British submersible that rescued the crew of the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

AS-28 ''AS-28'' is a of the Russian Navy, which entered service in 1986. It was designed for submarine rescue operations by the Lazurit Design Bureau in Nizhny Novgorod. It is long, high, and can operate up to a depth of . Training accident On Aug ...

on August 7, 2005.

Military and law enforcement

Military usage of remotely-controlled vehicles dates back to the first half of 20th century. John Hays Hammond, Jr., invented and patented methods for wireless control of ships starting in 1910. The Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

used remotely-controlled

teletank Teletanks were a series of wireless remotely controlled unmanned tanks produced in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and early 1940s so as to reduce combat risk to soldiers. They saw their first combat use in the Winter War, at the start of World Wa ...

s during the 1930s in the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

and early stage of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. There were also remotely-controlled cutters and experimental remotely-controlled planes in the Red Army. Remote-control vehicles are used in law enforcement and military engagements for some of the same reasons. Hazard exposure is mitigated for the operator of the vehicle, who controls it from a location of relative safety. Remote-controlled vehicles are also used for

bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milita ...

. Unmanned aerial vehicles ( UAVs) have undergone a significant evolution in capability in the past decade. Early UAVs were capable of reconnaissance missions alone and then only with a limited range. Current UAVs can hover around possible targets until they are positively identified before releasing their payload of weaponry. Backpack-sized UAVs will provide ground troops with over-the-horizon surveillance capabilities.

Recreation and hobby

Small-scale remote-control vehicles have long been popular among hobbyists. These remote-controlled vehicles span a wide range in terms of price and sophistication. There are many types of radio-controlled vehicles; these include on-road cars, off-road trucks, boats, submarines, airplanes, and helicopters. The "robots" now popular in television shows such as Robot Wars are a recent extension of this hobby. Radio control is the most popular choice, as the vehicle's range is not limited by the length of a cable, nor does it require direct line-of-sight with the controller, which is the case with infrared control.

References

External links

{{Robotics Uncrewed vehicles ja:遠隔操作#遠隔操作型無人機