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The houses and powerlines are a
couple hundred metres away. Wide
open spaces are a must. |
Over the Easter weekend I had a chance to tag along with a couple friends out for the inaugural flight of their new
3D Robotics multirotor drone. The ultimate goal is to use the drone to assist in archaeological mapping and overhead site photography, but on this first attempt the goal was to simply get it off the ground. This was my first time seeing a multirotor fly and I was surprised by how quiet and stable the flight seemed, even on a somewhat gusty day. The vehicle seems perfectly suited for aerial photography at the site level and probably larger area mapping, but it will require a lot of practice. Being on hand to see a new operator try one for the first time really impressed on me how difficult it is to learn to use one of these safely and confidently. It definitely requires practice in a wide open space, a steady hand, and spotters on the ground to help keep an eye out for trees and powerlines and to run interference on the throngs of kids that are attracted to the spectacle.
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| Marc on the controls. |
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| Discussing the flight plan. |
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| Its remarkably steady in the air, especially in "loiter" mode. |
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| A second multirotor was on the scene as well, although it was having a bit of a rough day flying. |
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| The drone has a pretty robust chasis, but the blades are necessarily light. The slightest tumble was enough to break two rotors. The blades are designed to be easy to replace. |
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| Like any aircraft - takeoffs and landings were the trickiest part. |
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| In the air, it was very quiet and stable. I can't wait to see the results once the camera gets mounted. |
Photo Credits: Tim Rast
Will it have a live feed of what it's camera is seeing back to someone who can send a signal to take a picture or turn a video camera on and off?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. I think that is possible and knowing the operator of this drone, if something is technically possible, then it will be done. My understanding is that it will have two cameras - one mounted facing down for plan views and one that can be used to see where the drone is going. I know that the camera used for piloting the drone will be hooked up via a live feed to a tablet on the ground, so it should be possible to do the same with the downward facing camera. Other options for the camera that were discussed are continuous HD filming or setting the camera on a timer to take photos at standard intervals throughout the flight.
DeleteI believe that the whole thing can be automated as well, with preprogrammed flightpaths that follow connect known waypoints. The system is intended for aerial photography and mapping so it seems pretty good at knowing where it is and what it is doing at all times. For example, there's a little GPS on it that transmits its location to a tablet on the ground showing the drone's current location on google maps. Its fun to use, but its definitely more of a tool than a toy.
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