Is a robot vacuum a drone? And how do you tell one drone from another?

A drone is a vehicle with nobody inside. Someone steers it from outside, or it steers itself.

A car. Not a drone.

An RC car. A drone.

A drone is a male bee: it buzzes and doesn’t do much work. In 1935 the British flew a radio-controlled target plane called the Queen Bee. Unmanned planes have been “drones” ever since.

Drones live in five places. Most have their own short name.

Quadcopters, planes, helicopters.

RC cars, delivery robots, robot lawnmowers, tracked robots.

RC boats, robot boats, like Saildrones that measure the sea.

ROV: steered on a cable. AUV: swims a mission on its own.

Satellites, space probes, Mars rovers. Too far to steer live: they mostly fly themselves.

Nobody inside, someone steers it.

Once it leaves your hand, nobody steers it.

Yes, it drives itself. We just don’t call it a drone.

Someone is on board.

72 flights on Mars, 2021–2024. Too far to steer live: it flew itself.

A flying drone in a ball cage.

Rotors can hover. Wings fly further. Some drones do both.

Four or more props. Hovers, turns on the spot, flies indoors, but eats battery.

A small plane. Needs speed, can’t hover. Flies much longer and further.

One big rotor and a tail rotor. Hovers like a quad, more parts.

Takes off like a quad, then flies like a plane.

Example: Zipline’s fixed-wing delivery drones fly themselves and drop medicine by parachute.

The biggest difference isn’t how a drone looks. It’s how much it does for you.

You do everything: heat, timing, flipping. You burn a few and you learn.

FPV in acro mode: our 65 mm whoops and 5″ racers. You fly every moment, and you build and fix it yourself.

You pick the setting, push the lever, it does the rest.

Camera drones and our B200 soccer drones. They hold their height for you. Easy to start. When it breaks, it often goes back to the shop.

You say what you want. It works out how.

Mapping, delivery and patrol drones, the robot vacuum. Someone sets the goal, the drone does the job.

Many drones can switch between modes.

Not what the drone does. Where your eyes are.

International terms, worth learning: LOS line of sight · VLOS visual line of sight · BVLOS beyond visual line of sight.

You look at the drone with your own eyes. The normal rule for hobby flying.

Our B200 soccer drones, camera drones.

You see through the drone’s camera, in goggles. In the EU a spotter next to you must keep eyes on the drone.

Our 65 mm whoops and 5″ racers.

Too far to see at all: flown from a map, or it flies itself. Needs special permission.

Delivery, mapping, long patrols.

The same shape can do very different jobs.

Toys, tiny whoops, first flights.

Photos, film, TV, sport broadcasts.

Racing, freestyle, drone soccer.

Farms, bridges, power lines, maps, deliveries, search and rescue.

Scouting, protecting, supplying.

A drone is a tool. What it does depends on who uses it, and on the rules.

For flying drones, weight decides the rules. Newer EU drones carry a class label.

Heavier means more rules, more training and more places you can’t fly. The details are in the Safety guide.

Weight isn’t the whole story. Two things change the rules for small drones too.

A camera (or any sensor that can record people) means you register as an operator, even if the drone is under 250 g. Only toys are let off.

Why: it can see into gardens and windows. In Estonia you register with Transpordiamet.

A home-built drone has no class label, so only its weight counts: under 250 g it flies like a C0 (A1); up to 25 kg it flies in A3, far from people.

Under 250 g you may fly FPV in A1, with a spotter (Transpordiamet, 2026). Our whoops: A1, and the camera means you register. Our 5″ racers: ~500 g → A3.

Flying outside our training hall? Drones follow EU rules. In Estonia they are run by Transpordiamet.

If your drone weighs 250 g or more, or has a camera. Your operator ID goes on the drone.

The free A1/A3 course and test, about an hour. Needed from 250 g. A good idea for everyone.

And keep away from people, roads and buildings.

Airports and no-fly zones: utm.eans.ee

A spotter stands next to you and watches the drone. Always, even under 250 g.

Rules change. Always check the latest at transpordiamet.ee.

You have to be 16 to take the A1/A3 test. Younger pilots fly bigger drones only under the direct supervision of a pilot who has it.

Outdoor training and official races happen in a designated area, under a coach’s supervision. The coach is the responsible pilot.

Under 16 you can’t get certified yet. Only toys and home-built drones under 250 g have no age limit. Anything bigger needs a certified pilot in charge.

No certificate? Don’t fly alone. Take a licensed adult with you. They are the responsible pilot. Flying FPV? You still need a spotter.

Even quadcopters come in families. Drawn roughly to scale.

And the folding camera drone: GPS, sensors, a gimbal camera. The toaster of the sky.

At HOBIzone we fly three kinds of drone. Whenever a guide says “our drones”, it means these.

indoors, in the soccer cage

20 cm ball cage

up to 175 g

toaster: holds its height

line of sight

technically a toy · bigger ones: A1

indoors, on the race track

65 mm, ducted props

about 25 g

frying pan

FPV + a spotter

A1, even in goggles · camera → register

outside, on the race track

5″ props

about 500 g, home-built

frying pan

FPV + a spotter

A3: home-built, far from people

air · ground · water · under water · space

rotors · wings · wheels · tracks · legs

frying pan · toaster · smart oven

line of sight · FPV · out of sight

weight (and camera, home-built) decide the rules

air · quad in a ball · toaster · line of sight · ≤ 175 g, a toy

air · ducted quad · frying pan · FPV + spotter · ~25 g, A1, camera

air · quad · frying pan · FPV + spotter · ~500 g, home-built, A3

air · quad · toaster · line of sight · 249 g, camera

ground · six wheels · smart oven · out of sight · not flying

Five questions tell any two drones apart:

Where? Air, ground, water, under water or space.

How? Rotors, wings, wheels, tracks or legs.

Who’s cooking? Frying pan, toaster or smart oven.

How do you see it? Line of sight, FPV or out of sight.

How heavy? And: camera? Home-built? That sets the rules.