Development Stages of Quadrotors from Past to Present: A Review

Quadrotors have been under development for over a century. The first quadrotors were large, heavy, and difficult to control aircraft operated by a single pilot. The first quadrotors remained in the prototype stage due to accidents, budget cuts, and failure to meet military standards. Production of manned quadrotors ceased in the 1980s. Since the 2010s, manned quadrotors have been used as air taxis, achieving greater success. The development of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) began in the 1990s. Their small size, low cost, and ease of control have made them advantageous. Advances in hardware and software technologies have expanded the use of quadrotor UAVs. Today, quadrotor UAVs are used in various fields, including surveillance, aerial photography, search and rescue, firefighting, first aid, cargo transportation, agricultural spraying, mapping, mineral exploration, and counterterrorism. This review examines the development of manned quadrotors and quadrotor UAVs in detail from the past to the present. First, the major manned quadrotors developed are described in detail, along with their technical specifications and photographs. Graphs are provided showing the weight, powerplant, flight duration, and passenger capacity of manned quadrotors. Second, the main quadrotor UAV models entering mass production are discussed, presenting their development processes, technical specifications, areas of use, and photographs. Graphs are presented showing the weight, battery capacity, flight duration, and camera resolution of quadrotor UAVs. Unlike studies focusing solely on the recent past, this review provides a broad overview of the development of quadrotors from their inception to the present.