| UAV . | Platelet . |
|---|---|
| Definition | |
| Militarya: “A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload.”b | Medicalc: “A minute, non-nucleated, disk-like cytoplasmic body found in the blood plasma of mammals that is derived from a megakaryocyte and functions to promote blood clotting.”d |
| Overall autonomy | |
| Physical location of “intelligence” | |
| Does not carry a human operator.e | Does not contain a nucleus. |
| Sensors | |
| Radars, sonars, cameras, temperature, etc. | Multitude of surface and internal receptors. |
| Maneuverability | |
| Size | |
| Smaller than conventional aircraft. No space considerations necessary for human operator. | Diameter 2–4 µm. Small size possible because of the lack of a nucleus, which spans at least 5 µm. |
| Access | |
| Provides wide coverage over large areas. Small size provides access to spaces not available to conventional aircraft. | Full coverage of the vascular system. Upon activation, chemotaxis and transmigration has been proposed.f Small size permits rapid access to even the narrowest capillaries. |
| Expendability | |
| Cost-effectiveness | |
| Significant cost and space savings when human operator is left out of its design (e.g., oxygen tanks, cockpits, canopy, interfaces, temperature controls), resulting in higher payload–to–dead weight ratios. | Does not require space or other resources otherwise dedicated for maintaining the nucleus (e.g., nucleotides, phospholipids, nuclear transporters, DNA repair enzymes). |
| Production | |
| Higher maximum production rate than with conventional aircraft. Can be mass-produced on factory lines. | Large quantities of platelets can be mass-produced by megakaryocytes.g Benefits from economy of scale. |
| Payloads | |
| Carries lethal or nonlethal payloads. | Carries molecules with cytotoxic, proinflammatory, or thrombotic functions that may harm both pathogens and tissues as well as nontoxic bioactive mediators that mediate other functions, such as intercellular communication. |
| Functions (during conflicts) | |
| Surveillance and reconnaissance, weapon strikes, delivery of ammunition and supplies. | Detection of pathogens/breached vasculature and signaling for leukocyte activation and/or recruitment; direct pathogen killing/thrombosis; delivery of support proinflammatory/thrombotic factors, as well as angiogenic and growth factors. |
| UAV . | Platelet . |
|---|---|
| Definition | |
| Militarya: “A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload.”b | Medicalc: “A minute, non-nucleated, disk-like cytoplasmic body found in the blood plasma of mammals that is derived from a megakaryocyte and functions to promote blood clotting.”d |
| Overall autonomy | |
| Physical location of “intelligence” | |
| Does not carry a human operator.e | Does not contain a nucleus. |
| Sensors | |
| Radars, sonars, cameras, temperature, etc. | Multitude of surface and internal receptors. |
| Maneuverability | |
| Size | |
| Smaller than conventional aircraft. No space considerations necessary for human operator. | Diameter 2–4 µm. Small size possible because of the lack of a nucleus, which spans at least 5 µm. |
| Access | |
| Provides wide coverage over large areas. Small size provides access to spaces not available to conventional aircraft. | Full coverage of the vascular system. Upon activation, chemotaxis and transmigration has been proposed.f Small size permits rapid access to even the narrowest capillaries. |
| Expendability | |
| Cost-effectiveness | |
| Significant cost and space savings when human operator is left out of its design (e.g., oxygen tanks, cockpits, canopy, interfaces, temperature controls), resulting in higher payload–to–dead weight ratios. | Does not require space or other resources otherwise dedicated for maintaining the nucleus (e.g., nucleotides, phospholipids, nuclear transporters, DNA repair enzymes). |
| Production | |
| Higher maximum production rate than with conventional aircraft. Can be mass-produced on factory lines. | Large quantities of platelets can be mass-produced by megakaryocytes.g Benefits from economy of scale. |
| Payloads | |
| Carries lethal or nonlethal payloads. | Carries molecules with cytotoxic, proinflammatory, or thrombotic functions that may harm both pathogens and tissues as well as nontoxic bioactive mediators that mediate other functions, such as intercellular communication. |
| Functions (during conflicts) | |
| Surveillance and reconnaissance, weapon strikes, delivery of ammunition and supplies. | Detection of pathogens/breached vasculature and signaling for leukocyte activation and/or recruitment; direct pathogen killing/thrombosis; delivery of support proinflammatory/thrombotic factors, as well as angiogenic and growth factors. |
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, US Department of Defense, 2005.
Reflects design concerns.
The American Heritage Medical Dictionary, © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Medical definitions tend to reflect the historical bias of the platelet’s hemostatic function.
Defining trait of UAV versus conventional aircraft.
Pitchford, S.C., S. Momi, S. Baglioni, L. Casali, S. Giannini, R. Rossi, C.P. Page, and P. Gresele. 2008. Allergen induces the migration of platelets to lung tissue in allergic asthma. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care. Med. 177:604–612.
Estimated at 2,000–4,000 platelets per megakaryocyte.