Drones

[BlueFang]

I think the high speed twitchy flight might be done better or augmented with forgiving obstacle avoidance without full autonomy being given up.

The class of quads that fit into the category of what I think you are calling "high speed twitchy flight" - are normally called "racing" or "mini" quads - and are the types of quads used in many of the crazy proximity videos. They have absolutely zero autonomy, zero obstacle avoidance, and are usually flown with zero horizon alignment. The PIDs on these guys are usually tuned so that the quad does EXACTLY what the user commands - and STAYS at that orientation until it either crashes or receives user input. Some of the latest and greatest software does add some artificial momentum assistance - you can see that in some of the inverted loops and rolls that they do at high-speeds - where it looks like the drone "floats" while inverted... that floaty-ness is definitely software assisted (lots of PID tuning).

I am still waiting for motors / esc's that can do low latency reversing - so that sustained inverted flight is possible. But then again, I come from a RC Heli background where inverted orientations are just another day at the office.

I want my quad/drone to do exactly what I am telling it to do, and not make any decisions on its own. I think the hand/eye coordination / muscle memory learning aspect is all part of the fun. It is gonna be a quite some time before AI can compete with performances like this:

[White-Light]

Not exactly the same thing Eric is planning to build, but for less than $200 you can get an autonomous high-def camera drone to follow you around while you do whatever...

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...era_Drone.html

Seriously thinking about getting one while they still offer the free shipping...

Adam

EDIT: Resurrected another thread where we were talking about the predecessor to this thing, but I just noticed both threads are in the Lounge... D'oh! Redundant posts are redundant.

Something like that with a Yi 4K camera, could be a totally awesome combination. The main issue though is terrain avoidance and in some sports waterproofing. Last thing you want is snow, rain or surf spray to brick your drone and crash it ruining botht he drone and camera.

[White-Light]

I'd watch this and some other videos before plunking down the $$$$.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWjC...ature=youtu.be

And there is really no controller that can be used other than the
watch which only does basic controls to Takeoff, Follow you, Land
and gimbal. No actual flying of the quad.


Jerry

That looks restricted.

Something else that grabs the eye immediately is the way it's hunting (swinging left to right) trying to detect the signal from the follow me bracelet. It doesn't make for a smooth flight or film.

I also agree if going autonomous these type of drones need more height control and terrain avoidance eg I wouldn't want a drone that shot me from above as above shots are somewhat boring and disconnect you from the action. I'd really want something down at eye level or below and flying quite close in eg within 6-10 feet horizontally, but then again without terrain / object avoidance and an emergency "climb" button you could mount somewhere and press in situations like the one shown where you're on a tow path alone flying eye level and someone else suddenly peddles into view, it would be somewhat dangerous and difficult. I wouldn't want to rely on terrain avoidance alone where other people are concerned so for me a climb button would be a must.

[buffo]

I'd watch this and some other videos before plunking down the $$$$.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWjC...ature=youtu.be

Thanks for posting that, Jerry. I didn't realize that the camera gimbal was so jerky. That definitely hurt the video quality.

And there is really no controller that can be used other than the
watch which only does basic controls to Takeoff, Follow you, Land
and gimbal. No actual flying of the quad.

Well, yeah, that's expected. I have other quads for when I want to actually fly the bird. I was thinking that this might be a cool video platform for action shots though. But not with that gimbal hunting all over the place!

Something else that grabs the eye immediately is the way it's hunting (swinging left to right) trying to detect the signal from the follow me bracelet. It doesn't make for a smooth flight or film.

Agreed. I think this alone is a deal-breaker.

if going autonomous these type of drones need more height control and terrain avoidance

Obstacle/terrain avoidance is difficult to do on the cheap. With the price point that they're selling this thing for, it's almost not worth trying to implement. (Because at that price point the systems won't work worth a damn.)

Adam

[dkumpula]

Am I the only one who watched this video and thought "his neighbors must HATE him"? That along with anyone who likes to use public parks near wherever this guy lives. I imagine the sheer terror of your 5 year old or small dog bolting towards this guy while he's practicing near ground level stunts. Heck, even if he was physically isolated, the noise would be a royal PITA.

-David

[swamidog]

after seeing bluefang fly his helicopter at SELEM 2015, i thought it was his video at first (starting at 5:57).

Am I the only one who watched this video and thought "his neighbors must HATE him"? That along with anyone who likes to use public parks near wherever this guy lives. I imagine the sheer terror of your 5 year old or small dog bolting towards this guy while he's practicing near ground level stunts. Heck, even if he was physically isolated, the noise would be a royal PITA.

-David

[NobleGas]

Am I the only one who watched this video and thought "his neighbors must HATE him"? That along with anyone who likes to use public parks near wherever this guy lives. I imagine the sheer terror of your 5 year old or small dog bolting towards this guy while he's practicing near ground level stunts. Heck, even if he was physically isolated, the noise would be a royal PITA.

-David

I would sincerely hope he practices on a club field and not in a public park! One thing that I noticed was the the main blades hit the ground at least once, there was a clearly visible divot left from the encounter; I suspect if the ground had been dry / hard, he would have shed a blade which is a truly frightening sight on a heli of that size.

[BlueFang]

Am I the only one who watched this video and thought "his neighbors must HATE him"? That along with anyone who likes to use public parks near wherever this guy lives. I imagine the sheer terror of your 5 year old or small dog bolting towards this guy while he's practicing near ground level stunts. Heck, even if he was physically isolated, the noise would be a royal PITA.

-David

His name is Bert Kammerer. He is a professional RC helicopter pilot and would never fly a helicopter like that in a public park or a non designated flying field. The video I posted is a performance at a fairly infamous meetup / fun-fly in Switzerland called the Alpine Heli Smackdown. The guy standing behind him is his spotter. There is an audience there you can hear in the background - they are well behind the flight line.

These guys take this stuff seriously - it is their full-time job to fly around the world doing demos, promoting products, promoting the hobby and even giving a few pointers to fellow (not so talented) pilots.

I would sincerely hope he practices on a club field and not in a public park! One thing that I noticed was the the main blades hit the ground at least once, there was a clearly visible divot left from the encounter; I suspect if the ground had been dry / hard, he would have shed a blade which is a truly frightening sight on a heli of that size.

There is a video of a second demo where he crashes. But its not that big of deal - these guys crash all the time. He could have it flying again in 30 minutes or so. He doesn't have to worry about parts - he is sponsored and is usually very well stocked:

crash is at the end of the video around the 2:00 mark.



I believe Bert is either president or a member of the board of a large RC flying club in Orlando, Fl. He has no problem finding a safe place to fly daily. His club puts on one of the largest Heli fun-flys in the country usually during the first week of December. The video of the Alpine Heli Smackdown only shows the perspective of the flight-line - where the pilots fly - and not the perspective of the crazy-ness that is behind the flight-line. The Orland Heli Blowout has some nice pictures of what a fun-fly looks like:

https://www.facebook.com/orlandoblowout/

There is large enthusiasts meetup in the U.S. every year called IRCHA - basically the SELEM of RC Helicopters - except, well, with a couple slight differences - like SCALE and "Bikini girl" advertising - here is an arial view of what an IRCHA looks like:



I mean, there is no doubt that these large helis are dangerous - and have caused injuries and even death over the years - but what you see in that video is what these guys do every weekend - and always at sanctioned flying fields and clubs.

[liteglow]

I mean, there is no doubt that these large helis are dangerous - and have caused injuries and even death over the years - but what you see in that video is what these guys do every weekend - and always at sanctioned flying fields and clubs.

Thank you for posting this, it`s so typical for everybody else to just say "this is dangerous, dont fly this" , but in fact it`s pretty safe if you follow some basic rules of common sense

[lasersbee]

One of my buddies 3D flies a 700 class electric heli. When I'm there and
the blades spin up I either stand behind him or some obstruction/building.

The blades at full throttle scare the be-jesus out of me. They are only
held on by one screw. I prefer the less heavy and smaller Multi-Rotor
props.

Jerry