Monthly Archives: December 2013

Video

More quadcopter First Person View videos from Arendatorovnet – FPV in Thailand

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The Arendatorovnet youtube channel is quite active recently and three new videos were posted today. These videos are unique in that the quadcopter (and his pilot of course) are apparently experiencing a total freedom of movement in the Island of Ko Samui in Thailand. This is of great inspiration for me, and possibly many other FPV enthusiasts, in relation of what First Person View (FPV) is about.

Those last videos were apparently recorded on the down/ground side of the video link and are likely close to what the pilot was actually seeing in his video goggles during navigation. The pilot shows complete control even in a few moments in which the video link looses strength.

In this first video, there is a moment in which the quadcopter stops to “play” with dogs. We have recently noted the interesting relationship between quadcopters and dogs, and this is a nice example. The dogs seem rather scared of the multirotor and do not dare approaching too much, although they indeed show interest. This starts at 14:35 of the following video, FPV Taras 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHaLdpE_Dzo

Low quality, video interferences and the “electronic background” audio on these last videos provides a special flavour to them, contributing to making the whole thing very special. Here are the other 2 videos.

FPV Taras 4. See how the quad greets people with a little oscillation, for example at 6:25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95X_WiFP_EM

FPV Taras 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2AQVE-sXUU

 

On the news

A failsafe algorithm that avoids crash when a propeller fails on a multirotor: quadcopter automatic fault detection

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We have recently discussed the importance of security in the world of quadcopters and multirotors and indeed security is at the heart of the ongoing debate on FAA regulations of the US airspace in relation to RC models, that of course include our beloved multirotors.

In our previous article we had noted how, in a presentation of Prof. Raffaello D’Andrea from the ETH Zurich, there is a bit of extreme interest for the security of quadcopter flights: Prof. D’Andrea showed that on cutting out two propellers from a quadcopter, the machine can still fly by adopting a different flight pattern, in which the quad continuously rotates on itself (yaws). Not very practical for shooting some stable video, but possibly great to avoid a crash.

And indeed the team of Prof. D’andrea now expanded on this part of the research and presented a video in which the same mechanism, a failsafe algorithm, is activated automatically during flight on a propeller failure.

Hopefuly we might see this as a selectable option on the next generation of flight controllers. DJI, what about implementing this on the next NAZA update? We might read some less news on quadcopters falling from the sky of Manhattan maybe and flying a quadcopter near people could become slightly less of a concern.

Next we’d like to see some efficient automatic avoidance mechanism. This would be another piece of the puzzle that needs to be completed to make multirotors really secure in a near future.

On the news

Stingray 500: an helicopter/quadcopter hybrid with 3D flight capabilities, made for acrobatic FPV

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Just stumbled upon a video from Flite Test that features the Stingray 500, a full collective pitch 3D quadcopter Curtis Youngblood. The photos posted below are from the Flite Test review page on the Stingray 500.

The Stingray 500 by Curtis Youngblood
The Stingray 500 by Curtis Youngblood

Here’s the Flite Test Video on youtube that features an interview to Curtis Youngblood and test flight of the Stingray:

If you look closely at the propellers, you will see that these look more that helicopter blades than normal multirotor propellers.

Indeed the propellers have a variable orientation that is the secret of the 3D flight capabilities of this beautiful flying machine. If you are familiar with the way a normal quadcopter flies you will see from the videos below that the maneuvers that can be  performed with the Stingray are plain impossible with a normal multirotor.

Stingray Acrobatics
Stingray Acrobatics – Source

The total freedom of movement in the 3D space make the Stingray suitable for Acrobatic flight.

The frame cover is designed to carry 2 cameras at the same time (fpr example a GoPro and a board camera), making this quad great for acrobatic FPV and for taking some very special aerial video.

Stingray 500 with Horizon HD camera
Stingray 500 with Horizon HD camera – Source

In the video above Chris Youngblood displays amazing piloting skills, I wonder how easy or difficult is it to fly and perform some basic acrobatics with such a particular machine, so different from a “traditional” quad.

The quad is currently on sale on Curtis Youngblood web site for 799$.

Here’s some more Stingray flying video:

 

Video

Three new amazing FPV videos from Arendatorovnet

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We have been following closely (1–2) the youtube channel of Arendatorovnet, a Thailand based quadcopter enthusiast that is releasing, since a while, some stunning FPV videos.

In the last couple of days three new exciting videos were published that are again worth viewing from start to end. It is a full immersion FPV experience in which the quad really has it’s own life and covers long distances with ease. There must be some solid equipment behind these performances but the technical specifications for the radio and video links are still unreleased at this time.

Here are the videos:

Koh Samui Sunset:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsQOU-3RHhk

FPV Taras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVj8bj6M1KY

FPV Taras II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBtROSsj7KE

On the news

A new announcement of a multirotor/drone based delivery service: Amazon Prime Air

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We have recently reported about new possibly upcoming drone/multirotor based delivery services for books and pizza.

How about extending multirotor deliveries to the full amazon catalogue (limited to small sized items)? Direct delivery from Amazon to your doorstep in under 30 minutes from the moment you place the order online with the new Amazon Prime Air service.

Here’s the Amazon YouTube video that totalized slightly less than 12 million visits since december 1 2013. In just 5 days this is an amazing page views score. This shows a huge interest from the public that will possibly support the development of the project.

Amazon is realistic and acknowledges that actual implementation of the project could well take a few years. This is a statement on the Amazon page:

“Putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some number of years as we advance the technology and wait for the necessary FAA rules and regulations.”

However right below, in the same page FAQ section, we read:

“Q: When will I be able to choose Prime Air as a delivery option?
A: We hope the FAA’s rules will be in place as early as sometime in 2015. We will be ready at that time.”

Amazon Prime Air octocopter
Amazon Prime Air octocopter – Click for high res version
Amazon Prime Air
Amazon Prime Air – Click for high res version

Indeed, the development of such a multirotor based service will have to deal closely with FAA and it’s regulations. Current rules allow flying any RC model, with a number of restrains, but commercial services require an explicit permit from FAA to be carried out. This is the base for the well know story of Raphael Pirker and the FAA commercial flying ban, where Raphael Pirker aka “Trappy”, funder of Team Black Sheep, was issued a 10.000$ fine by FAA for taking some aerial footage, for money, of the University of Virginia. We covered the story here.

Would FAA allow Amazon to launch such a service, as described in the promotional video above, tomorrow? Likely not for a number of very good reasons in my opinion.

Jeff Bezos presents the new Amazon Prime Air multirotor based delivery service
JAmazon CEO Jeff Bezos presents the new Amazon Prime Air multirotor based delivery service

A number of safety concerns are involved in such a project. The machine itself must be full proof with redundant control and power systems. Research required in this field as the technology is still relatively new. What kind of avoidance systems will be in place? Camera/video based? Sonar based? Both? Research required. How do you deal with the dogs welcome committee at landing? (see here). How do you ensure reliable and secure delivery, after all a packet is just left on a front yard, a number of things could happen before the customer actually get it in his hands.

Here’s a video that discusses a number of potential issues:

Despite all these problems to be solved, some kind of minor issues, other more serious, It looks to me that it’s just a matter of time before we get to see drones delivering items to our doorstep. The questions is not really if we are going to see this, but when.

 

Video

Quadcopters, dog’s best friends? Dogs and multirotors, a strong relationship

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I found out, on flying at local parks, that dogs are extremely interested in quadcopters. They spot them from far away, follow them, bark at them. On landing they approach to see what all this fuss is about. Then they will stop at a certain distance, realizing that this is not exactly what they expected to see. They don’t know how to deal with it. At the end of the following video I picked the quad up and put it down again near the PC bag where I carry it. The dogs came very near this time and had a good look at it. They were curious and interested. Maybe they were considering getting one too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0KEo0lejTI

On looking up on youtube, I realized that dog’s interest is a common observation for multirotor pilots. Here’s another well documented interaction:

and more:

and beware, this is a full blown dog attack on a multirotor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLz00N4pK90

Had any experience on quadcopters and dogs? Thanks for sharing below!

How to

Blackout Mini H Quad, our latest FPV quadcopter build details

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I recently made a post about Blackout’s Mini-H-Quad. It is a great small size FPV platform, that will possibly host full size/full potency FPV equipment that is normally mounted on bigger quads. Sounds great for a lightweight personal drone that you can easily fit in a medium sized PC bag together with the radio and a handful of batteries. Get yours HERE.

In this post I would like to share my current setup for the Mini H Quad. It is probably not the lightest possible configuration. I bet I could take off at least 5/10 grams of weight with some minimization here and there. Possibly the photos below could be a source of inspiration, or criticism, for others who wish to build or already built the same quad. Continue reading Blackout Mini H Quad, our latest FPV quadcopter build details →