A 3D printed drone that takes just one day to make was the highlight of the recent Innoprom 2016, held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in July. The drone, created by Russian state corporation Rostec's United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation (UIMC), is the country's first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be fully manufactured using 3D technology, reflecting both Russia's advances in additive manufacturing in its defense sector and its growing interest in UAV deployment.

The drone weighs just four kilograms, has a wingspan of 2.4 meters, and can operate within a 50-kilometer range for about an hour before needing a battery recharge. It is currently designed for monitoring and reconnaissance missions when outfitted with video or other imaging equipment, along with communication capabilities.

Sergey Skokov, deputy CEO for UIMC, told media outlets that 3D printing makes drones faster and cheaper to produce. This obvious advantage extends beyond the original production of the drones, which take just 20 minutes to assemble. In that same 20-minute window, replacement parts can be manufactured when necessary. Skokov adds the fast response for a new part can be done in the field, and the drones may one day be used in battlefield deployments under combat conditions.

At the same time, Russia's Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM) and Foundation for Advanced Research (FPI) are working on drone models powered by engines made in 3D manufacturing processes. The VIAM gas engine turbine is made with proprietary aluminium alloy and heat-resistant metal powder mixes to deliver a design precision through 3D techniques that aren't possible through casting or conventional processes. Evgeny Kablov, director general for VIAM, said these include 0.3-millimeter chamber walls.

The lightweight materials and design deliver a finished engine prototype weighing just 900 grams, with a thrust capacity of 75 kilograms – one that can be doubled to 150 kilograms without increasing the mass. Now that the companies have mastered the laser sintering technologies necessary to create the engine, they have turned to the task of building the drone the engine has been designed to eventually power. What the teams are learning, says FPI's Alexander Panfilov, will continue to build up the additive manufacturing industry in Russia. The techniques learned in the defense industry may transfer well to other sectors.

Russia's increasingly sophisticated approach to drone technology is not limited to 3D printing and aluminium powders. Students at the Skolkovo Insitute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) are designing new ways to control those drones too.

Until now, UAVs always have been controlled by radio commands, but at the recent SIGGRAPH 2016 conference in California, the Skoltech team demonstrated how gesture-enhanced technology might be used to control drones instead.

Until now, UAVs always have been controlled by radio commands, but at the recent SIGGRAPH 2016 conference in California, the Skoltech team demonstrated how gesture-enhanced technology might be used to control drones instead. The human at the helm just steps on a projected image to direct the drone, in one of the three application models developed for the Light Air project at Skoltech. With 3D sensors and a visual channel to scan the drone's space, it will respond to human gestures.

In the use case for drone deliveries, Skoltech's FlyMap app relies on GPS to enable the drone to create a scalable map and process the data for its destination. After calculating for speed and flight time, the drone then accepts the package. At its destination, the recipient accepts or rejects it with a foot click.

The Russian team's drone innovations received a Laval Virtual Award, and the Light Air team will present their research next year at the Laval Virtual forum in France.