A delivery company is trialling autonomous drones. Each drone uses GPS to follow a route, ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles and a battery sensor to che...
Question 1 Report
A delivery company is trialling autonomous drones. Each drone uses GPS to follow a route, ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles and a battery sensor to check available charge. The drone may fly forward only when its battery level is sufficient and no obstacle is detected. An obstacle value of 1 means that an obstacle has been detected. The company records route, time and camera data for every flight. Local residents have raised concerns about noise, cameras and the safety of drones flying near homes.
| Battery sufficient, B | Obstacle detected, O | Fly forward, F |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | ______ |
| 0 | 1 | ______ |
| 1 | 0 | ______ |
| 1 | 1 | ______ |
(a) State what is meant by an autonomous device. [1]
(b) State two sensors, other than GPS, that could be used by the drone. [2]
(c) Complete the truth table for F = B AND NOT O. [2]
(d) Convert the binary battery reading 01101101 to denary. [2]
(e) Complete labels A and B on the flowchart. [2]
(f) Give three issues or impacts that should be considered before drones are used widely in residential areas. [3]
(g) Convert both binary route identifiers to denary: 10110110 and 01011101. [4]
Answer Details
(a) An autonomous device can carry out actions or make decisions without continuous human control. It uses its programmed rules and sensor inputs to respond to conditions. [1 mark]
(b) Two valid examples are an ultrasonic sensor, used to detect nearby obstacles, and a battery sensor, used to monitor charge. Other valid examples include an infrared sensor, camera, proximity sensor or accelerometer. GPS is excluded because the question asks for other sensors. [2 marks]
(c) The expression is \(F=B\text{ AND NOT }O\). The drone can fly only if the battery is sufficient and an obstacle is not detected.
| Battery sufficient, \(B\) | Obstacle detected, \(O\) | \(\text{NOT }O\) | Fly forward, \(F\) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Thus the required values, in row order, are 0, 0, 1, 0. An AND operation gives 1 only when both of its inputs are 1. [2 marks]
(d) In \(01101101_2\), the columns with value 1 are \(64\), \(32\), \(8\), \(4\) and \(1\).
\[01101101_2=64+32+8+4+1=109\]
The denary battery reading is 109. [2 marks]
(e) At the battery decision, the downward route continues to the obstacle check, so label A is Yes. At the obstacle decision, the route to “Fly forward” applies when no obstacle is detected, so label B is No. This agrees with the condition \(B\text{ AND NOT }O\). [2 marks]
(f) Three valid issues or impacts are:
- Safety: a drone could collide with a person, building or vehicle, causing injury or damage.
- Noise pollution: repeated drone flights may disturb local residents.
- Privacy: camera data could record people or homes, potentially invading privacy.
Other creditworthy points include hacking or takeover of a drone, legal responsibility after an accident, job losses for delivery drivers, battery disposal or energy use, and reduced road-vehicle emissions. Each point should identify a distinct realistic impact. [3 marks]
(g) Use the binary place values \(128,64,32,16,8,4,2,1\).
\[10110110_2=128+32+16+4+2=182\]
\[01011101_2=64+16+8+4+1=93\]
The route identifiers are 182 and 93 respectively. [4 marks]
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
