The year was 1876, and Nicholas Otto had just invented the first Four-Stroke engine in the world. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach also worked in Otto’s firm in management positions the two men who had known each other for 10 years were close friends.

After working with Nicholaus Otto on the invention of the Otto engine. Later, Maybach and Daimler aimed to develop an engine, that could run fast, they succeeded in the stationary engine for industrial purposes and became a sales hit. 

Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach

Gottlieb Daimler:

Born: 17 March 1834, Scorndorf, Germany

Died: 6 March 1900, Stuttgart, Germany

Invention: High-speed liquid petroleum engine (Reitwagen)

Wilhelm Maybach:

Born: 9 February 1846, Heilbron, Germany

Died: 29 December 1929 Stuttgart, Germany

Invention: world center for car production, motorboat, Grandfather clock engine

History of Gottlieb Daimler

The nostalgia of Schorndorf. A small picture book town in Germany, it is difficult to believe that history was made here on March 17, 1834, the town most inherent was born Gottlieb Daimler, his birthplace where his father ran Bakery and wine items still stand today at the same place.

Daimler junior was captivated by the world of Engineering which shaped his whole life. Starting as a workshop assistant he was hardworking towards his work and a dedicated student, but he was 48 years old before he could devote himself to his dream.

Why did Daimler and Maybach leave Otto's firm?

Maybach's new design also considerably reduce the cost and simplified the manufacturer. However, Maybach and Daimler wanted more they felt that the engine is too slow, too large, and too heavy. These two inventors shared a different version, they wanted to design a fast small light engine that can be installed anywhere.

The engine should motorize everything that has previously been done using animals or steam power in the future. They had a clear vision. So they left Ottos's firm.

What did Daimler and Maybach invent

After leaving Otto’s firm, he converted a greenhouse into a workshop. He started experimenting to his heart's content. He almost possessed a vision of creating a light high-speed Petroleum driven combustion engine. 

Daimler finally reached his goal in 1886, his 1.1 HorsePower combustion engine reaching 650 revolutions per minute(rpm) could function consistently without ignition problems.

How was the Grandfather clock engine invented?

Maybach and Daimler soon vision takes on concrete forms together they designed the first fast combustion engine and the first installable engine named Grandfather Clock. 

In 1886 the time had come when the first Daimler Motorcoach was ready to try. However, they remain unsuccessful. People until then were frightened of the catering vehicles, the new engine has to prove itself in fire tracks, exteriable balloons only then people will begin to accept the new mode of transport.

How was Daimler's Reitwagen invented?

This Inventive genius was awarded patent number 28022, added by William Maybach he installed the engine in the first-ever test carriage (Reitwagen), and the people of Schorndorf were outraged by the smell and clatter of the carriage but the two visionaries were unstoppable. But Daimler and Maybach installed a combustion engine in a standard carriage.

The motor car was born in it Daimler and Maybach were often seen riding in a prototype, whether it would be a train, ship, or airplane Daimler used his engine in all vehicles.

The car was born

In 1889, the first breakthrough in France the World Exhibition of Paris Willhelm Maybach’s four-wheel steel wheel Wagon was successful. Two French companies purchased a license and only a few years later 500 automobiles were already on the roads in France. However, in Germany, people remain reticent.

 Nicholaus August Otto (June 10, 1832 - 26 January 1891) was a German engineer who developed the Four-stroke Internal Combustion engine, which provided the first practical alternative to the steam engine power source. Nikolaus Otto built his first gasoline-powered engine in 1861. 

At that time gas was expensive. The engine was relatively inefficient and required a lot of water for cooling purposes. Yet Nicholaus Otto saw potential in this concept.

Three years later Nicholaus formed a partnership with German Industrialist Eugen Langen which gave this experiment a boost. They together developed an improvised engine that was selected in the Paris Expo of 1867 and won a gold medal for this invention.

What is the Otto cycle?

The Otto engine is a combustion engine and it is considered to be a technological milestone of the human sword, it was named after its inventor Nicholaus August otto. Otto engines are used in motorcycles, cars, and the automotive industry.

How Otto cycle was named?

In 1876, Nicholaus Otto build an Internal Combustion engine utilizing the four-stroke cycle. But unfortunately, the four-stroke cycle was patented in 1862 by the French engineer Alphonse Beau de Rochas. Since Otto was the first to build an engine based on this principle, it is commonly known as the Otto cycle.

About Otto engines

Because of its reliability, efficiency, and its relation to quietness, the Otto engine was an immediate success. More than 30,000 of them were built during the next 10 years. But in 1886 Otto's patent was officially canceled when Beau de Rochas' earlier patent was brought to light.

So now we know that the Otto cycle is the ideal cycle for internal combustion engines more specifically gasoline engines there is a need for us to better understand the four-stroke Otto engine.

How does the Otto cycle work?

The proposed Otto engine is composed of a piston that moves up and down in a cylinder. 

The highest point the Piston can reach is called the Top dead center, whereas the lowest point it can reach is called the Bottom dead center. 

The volume between both points is called engine displacement. The pistons connected to the crankshaft through the connecting rod the crankshaft transmit the rotational movement to the gearbox and consequently drive the wheel of a car or motorcycle.

Two camshafts are installed on the top of the cylinder which controls the intake and exhaust valve the camshaft is connected to the crankshaft through a belt more than not the crankshaft to the camshaft gear ratio is 2 to 1 which means that for every two revolutions of the crankshaft, the camshaft will rotate only once. 

How does the Four-Stroke engine works?

An Otto engine has a spark plug that uses an electric spark to ignite the fuel charge. A four-stroke otto engine is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes.

The four stages of the otto cycle are as follows:

First stroke

The first stroke is called the intake stroke where the intake valve is opened by the rotating cam, and the air-fuel mixture is sucked into the cylinder.

 The world we see today is changing day by day and the use of science and technology gadgets and appliances is increasing in our day-to-day life. How is this possible? For example, the typewriter to the digital wireless keyboard, from the Rotary dial telephone to video calls in smartphones, from the beginning of computers to laptops and tablets, from the world's first car to a fully automatic driverless car. All these changes are possible due to Research and Development (R&D)which is also an important reason for the Industrial Revolution.

What is the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution is a stage of history that goes from the mid-1700s to the 1840s and began in England almost entire mankind's life had been based on agriculture in the 18th century.

The term Industrial Revolution was first used by European scholars George Michelin and Fredrich Angles in Germany. 

When did the Industrial Revolution start?

The period from the mid-1700s to 1840 was the Industrial Revolution because of all the technological advances made. A huge number of inventions during these 150 years completely changed the way people lived and worked. There were mainly two different Revolutionary periods called the First and Second Industrial Revolutions.

Journey of the Industrial Revolution

You will learn about the recent inventions and transformations of technology from the manufacturing industry to the IT industry.

Industrial Revolution 1.0

The period of the first Industrial Revolution has been from 1760 to 1850. The Industrial Revolution started in Britain at that time. Technology and innovations were of British origin by the 18 century, Britain had become the leading commercial nation of the world rooftop development of trade and business through the activities of the East India Company was one of the major reasons behind the industrial revolution. 

The first Industrial Revolution is also known as the Mechanization of Industries. Handmade products started to be used to use machines.

The first use of machines started in the textile industry. The manufacturing process leads to a new transformation from the beginning of the first industrial revolution. 

This transformation included increasing the number of machines from hand production methods, new chemical manufacturing iron production, process steam power, water power, and manufacturing new machine tools. Talking about some important inventions during the first industrial revolution.

Inventions during the 1st Industrial Revolution:

It started in England with the three major inventions

The Second Industrial Revolution began around 1860 to 1914. Which was a period of rapid standardization and industrialization. Talking about Industry 2.0 most of the ideas and inventions of Industry 1.0 have been applied to develop and use new technology.

The Second Industrial Revolution is also known as Electrification.

Inventions during the 2nd Industrial Revolution:

• Instead of water and stream-based machines, the use of electrical machines started increasing which was low cost and efficient.

• Another big area of improvement was the harnessing of electricity which gave rise to electric bulbs, electric lights, electric signals, telephones, and typewriters.

• Knuckle couplers are used to join the train coaches.

• The steam turbine was also an important invention developed by Sir Charles Parson in 1884 connecting the dynamo to generate 7.5 of electricity.

• During this time automobile industry was born when Karl Benz invented the world's first automobile car in 1885.

Industrial Revolution 3.0

The third Industrial Revolution started in the 20th century. 

The third Industrial Revolution is also called as Digital revolution.

Inventions during the 3rd Industrial Revolution:

There were many inventions during this Revolution that gave birth to a new era.

• It included computers cell phones, internet-integrated chips IC, microprocessors, etc.

• During this revolution (PLC) Programmable Logic controller was a historical invention built in the 1960s to set up Electronics and programs to automate and manually operate machines.

• The biggest example of this is the NC numerical control machine in which machine tools were automated which is known as the CNC machine

• In 1952 by collaborating with Richard Kegg (MIT) the world's first CNC milling machine was invented.

• The Internet was invented by the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), in 1969 by sending the first message via the Internet.

• Subsequently, Tim Berners-lee invented the World Wide Web (www)wherein 1989.

 Flying a drone is great fun you can take off, you can hover(float) it turn on any axis you want. But have you ever thought about how the flight dynamics of the drone actually work? 

If you ever found yourself wondering how drones or quadcopters fly, then you are in the right place.

Drones use BLDC (Brushless) motors which are outrunners types, the propeller blades are attached to the cover of the motor. They have three motions Pitch, Roll Yaw.

Airfoil Principle

The propeller blades are the most important part of the drone each cross-section of the blade produces a lift force when air flows over the blade due to the Airfoil principle. The blade is designed in such a way that the lift force produced along the length will be in the same direction on both parts of the blades allowing us to represent the total lift force produced by the drone blade. 

The controller is used to modify the motor speed it is as simple as the greater the Blade Speed, the greater the lift force. 

What makes a drone fly?

During takeoff, just increase the rotor speed as the collective lift force produced by the blades overcomes the weight of the drone. It will lift from the ground this is known as a climbing stage. 

When you have achieved the necessary height you can reduce the rotor speed until the lift force exactly balances the drone weight that doesn't wait there we have it levitation. 

Drone Hovering

Levitation is technically known as Drone hovering in both the drone takeoff and hovering stages all four propellers rotate at the same speed. One diagonally opposite pair of propellers rotates in one direction and the other pair rotates in another direction, it might look strange but if all the propellers were spinning in the same direction then the drone body would have rotated in opposite direction.

Let's see why this is the case, this is because the stator of the motor is attached to the Drone body the rotor of the motor turns because it receives torque from the stator. If we enter Newton's third law of motion, if the motor is receiving torque from the stator, the stator will also receive an equal amount of torque but in the opposite direction of the rotor. If all the rotors are spinning in the same direction the Drone body will receive reaction torque. 

What happens if rotors are spinning in the same direction?

The net effect of these four reaction's torque would force the drone body to turn in the same direction as the reaction torque or in the opposite direction of the propeller rotation. By spinning the propeller pairs in the opposite direction, we make the net reaction torque zero.

Yaw Motion

Interestingly the same physics is used to achieve YAW motion in normal conditions all the blades will be spinning at the same speed, the yaw motion is produced by rotating one diagonal per at one speed and the other pair at a different speed. 

In this case, the reaction torque will not cancel out and the drone body will spin. when you control the yaw stick of the remote control its motion is circular.

Pitching and Rolling

Let's learn about the other two angular motions of the drone Pitch and Roll, the Pitch and Roll of a Drone are controlled by this same yaw stick and they worked based on the same physics.

Pitch Motion

To pitch the Drone forward the front propellers are spun at a lower speed and the back propellers at a higher speed. This creates a different lift force at the front and back and does a net torque the net torque causes the Drone to pitch.

Roll Motion

To roll the drone the same trick is applied but one side pair is spun faster and the other slower. Once again the net torque forces the drone to for a roll motion but to the side pair here.

One interesting thing to know, in both roll and pitch operation even though you are changing the speed of the propellers when you add the reaction torque produced by the motors it becomes zero.

This is the beauty of quadcopter drone design. They make way for stable Drone operation.

How does a drone fly forward?

At the beginning of this article we saw how to climb a Drone, now let's see how the Drone is flown forward or sidewalk. Assume you are facing the Drone forward after you achieve the desired pitch angle you brought the propeller speeds to the same value so that it won't pitch further, the Drone cannot balance at the tilted angle. 

To balance the drone we have to first balance the gravitational force suppose the propeller speed is such a way that the vertical component of the propeller force balances the weight, here comes the issue the propeller force has a horizontal component as well even though the vertical forces are balanced. 

The  unbalanced horizontal force will move the drone horizontally which will cause a drag force on the drone's body, the Drone will increase its speed horizontally until the drag force matches the horizontal force, 

In short, to fly the Drone forward you just pitch down the Drone and balance it vertically the Drone does the rest automatically moving forward. To get the side motion the same mechanics are used roll the drone toward one side and balance it vertically.

Is it possible to move the Drone in a perfect circle?

The answer is yes the answer lies in the physics of circular motion, Let's brush up on the basic principles Consider an object moving in a straight line when acted on by a force that is always perpendicular to its velocity the object will turn in a circle. 

For example, you can make the Drone move straight by pitching it down, now if you roll the Drone down you can easily produce a force perpendicular to the Drone's velocity, this will make the drone turn in a circle. 

I hope you have enjoyed learning about the interesting flight dynamics of the quadcopter drone.

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 The whole world knows that the first airplane was flown by Wright Brothers, But what the world doesn't know is that 8 years before the Wright Brothers one Indian scholar named Shivkar Bapuji Talpade had already made and flown an unmanned plane in the sky.

Story of Shivkar Bapuji Talpade

The story of a genius who is unrecognized even though he made an invention that proves a turning point in the history of mankind Shivkar Bapuji Talpade was an Indian scholar who constructed and flew an unmanned airplane in 1895.

Shivkar Talpade was born in the area of Chira Bazar locality of Mumbai in 1864, he was a scholar of Sanskrit literature and the Vedas. He completed his full education at Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (JJ School of Arts) Ph.D. degree.

How he got Interested in Aeronautics

At the age of 30, he came to know about ancient Indian Aeronautics through his teacher Chiranjilal Verma who encouraged him to read Swami Dayanand Saraswati's works related to ancient Aeronautics. Inspired by these texts, Talpade decided to construct the Vedic Vimana which is described in the Vedas and he started learning the Vedic Sanskrit language. 

Talpade got assistance from his teacher Mr. Shastri. Mr. Shastri made a big contribution to the invention of the airplane and believed in Talpade's knowledge.

Pioneer of Unmanned airplane / Construction of Plane

Talpade started creating an unmanned airplane using the Mercury ion as fuel. His airplane was named Marut Sakha which means friend of wind. This airplane is supposed to have been inspired by Vimana an ancient flying machine in Hindu mythology. 

In 1895, Talpade demonstrated his airplane on Mumbai beach in front of a crowd of hundreds, famous people like Lomanya Tilak, Mahadev Govinda Ranade, and King Sayajirao Gaikwad II were present in this incredible event.

Demonstration of airplane

This airplane(Marut Sakha) sustained flight for a few minutes it flew to a height of approximately 1,500 feet and then fell down to earth. 

Shivkar Talpade needed funds to continue his research to create a bigger airplane where a man could travel. King Sayajirao Gaikwad, II was amazed by his experiment and promised to provide funds for more research.

How Britishers pulled Shivkar Talpade down

But due to pressure from the British government, King couldn't keep his promise.

The British government did everything to suppress Talpade's experiment. But somehow he managed to get funds for his experiment.

He did everything to survive his experiment from the Britishers.

But surprisingly British government arrested him by claiming that he was making explosives from mercury. Then after Talpade spent many years in jail by the time he came out of jail Wright brothers had already invented airplanes. 

Britishers never wanted an Indian to make the first invention or any invention.

Claimed for his Experiment

Years after the invention of the Wright Brothers. Talpade died in 1916 without getting any credits for his experiment. Some of his students tried to put forward his invention so that Talpade could get deserved credits for his inventions.

But the world was not ready to accept that airplanes could fly by using a mercury ion engine.