Sunday, December 25, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
a drone that works in air and water
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/aquamav-drone-swim-air/
"Most of the time, drones aren’t exactly at home in the water. And those that are tend to be limited to staying below the waves.
That’s where a new project carried out by researchers at Imperial College London hopes to shake things up. With their prototype AquaMAV robot, the researchers have created a winged aerial drone not only able to fly in the air, but also to dive into the water and then re-emerge.
'We’re developing a fixed-wing aircraft which can move in both air and water, and transition between the two quickly and reliably,' creators Mirko Kovac and Rob Siddall told Digital Trends."
This would be great for taking cool videos.
"Most of the time, drones aren’t exactly at home in the water. And those that are tend to be limited to staying below the waves.
That’s where a new project carried out by researchers at Imperial College London hopes to shake things up. With their prototype AquaMAV robot, the researchers have created a winged aerial drone not only able to fly in the air, but also to dive into the water and then re-emerge.
'We’re developing a fixed-wing aircraft which can move in both air and water, and transition between the two quickly and reliably,' creators Mirko Kovac and Rob Siddall told Digital Trends."
This would be great for taking cool videos.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
wedding attacked by rogue drone
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/12/13/quadcopter-crashes-into-wedding-guests-wedding-guests-sue.html
"Two guests at a New Hampshire wedding recently filed a negligence lawsuit against groom Barry Billcliff and wedding planning firm Searles Castle after a quadcopter smashed into their faces during the event.
The out-of-control copter caused some pretty nasty injuries, with one of the women suffering a gash to her head that needed 20 stitches to fix, and the other a fractured nose and broken bone around the eye, the Boston Herald reported.
The wedding guests had been enjoying themselves on a dance floor under a large tent at the event earlier this year when the drone suddenly came flying toward them."
this is why rules are a good idea. you don't want idiots with no piloting experience smashing into people with those 4 whirling blades of doom. Actually, don't let an idiot near a quadcopter. period.
"Two guests at a New Hampshire wedding recently filed a negligence lawsuit against groom Barry Billcliff and wedding planning firm Searles Castle after a quadcopter smashed into their faces during the event.
The out-of-control copter caused some pretty nasty injuries, with one of the women suffering a gash to her head that needed 20 stitches to fix, and the other a fractured nose and broken bone around the eye, the Boston Herald reported.
The wedding guests had been enjoying themselves on a dance floor under a large tent at the event earlier this year when the drone suddenly came flying toward them."
this is why rules are a good idea. you don't want idiots with no piloting experience smashing into people with those 4 whirling blades of doom. Actually, don't let an idiot near a quadcopter. period.
Monday, December 12, 2016
drone photojournalism
http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/drone-photojournalism-faa
"With the new so-called Part 107 rules for commercial drone pilots released in August the FAA opened up the skies – with significant restrictions – to drone photojournalists. Licensed Part 107 pilots are not allowed to fly in controlled airspace, cannot exceed a height of 400 feet above ground level (AGL), cannot fly over people, over traffic, at night, or beyond what is called Visual Line of Sight (VLOS). Other rules – such as giving way to manned operations, or not operating in a reckless manner were also understandably instituted. Some of these rules may be obviated under certain conditions with an approved waiver from the FAA.
The problem for drone photojournalists is that these very sensible rules can be undermined by a tactic that law enforcement is increasing using to prevent aerial coverage of their operations – the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). A TFR is a cutout from spaces where drone pilots – and manned air traffic - would otherwise be allowed to fly – ostensibly in the service of air safety. Drone pilots are not allowed to fly in a TFR zone without a waiver from the FAA."
This is all a brand new field of law, but we certainly don't want the police misusing FAA rules to block legitimate news coverage.
"With the new so-called Part 107 rules for commercial drone pilots released in August the FAA opened up the skies – with significant restrictions – to drone photojournalists. Licensed Part 107 pilots are not allowed to fly in controlled airspace, cannot exceed a height of 400 feet above ground level (AGL), cannot fly over people, over traffic, at night, or beyond what is called Visual Line of Sight (VLOS). Other rules – such as giving way to manned operations, or not operating in a reckless manner were also understandably instituted. Some of these rules may be obviated under certain conditions with an approved waiver from the FAA.
The problem for drone photojournalists is that these very sensible rules can be undermined by a tactic that law enforcement is increasing using to prevent aerial coverage of their operations – the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). A TFR is a cutout from spaces where drone pilots – and manned air traffic - would otherwise be allowed to fly – ostensibly in the service of air safety. Drone pilots are not allowed to fly in a TFR zone without a waiver from the FAA."
This is all a brand new field of law, but we certainly don't want the police misusing FAA rules to block legitimate news coverage.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
Land, you criminal scum drone
https://www.cinema5d.com/dronegun-capable-of-taking-down-a-dji-phantom-from-1-2-miles-away/
"We now live in a world where weapons are being created to bring down drones originally intended for aerial photography, or just good healthy fun. I suppose it was inevitable, what with numerous incidents being reported of small personal UAV’s straying too close to aircraft, but I honestly thought we were a few years away from this. I was wrong."
"We now live in a world where weapons are being created to bring down drones originally intended for aerial photography, or just good healthy fun. I suppose it was inevitable, what with numerous incidents being reported of small personal UAV’s straying too close to aircraft, but I honestly thought we were a few years away from this. I was wrong."
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The government uses the hammer to stop drone flights at oil pipeling protest
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-government-is-using-a-no-fly-zone-to-suppress-journalism-at-standing-rock
"On October 23, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department announced it had shot down a drone after it had approached a police helicopter 'in a threatening manner.' Soon after, it petitioned the FAA for the TFR, which extends until at least Friday (in the past, TFRs have been immediately renewed after they expire).
The TFR says 'no pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this Notice to Airmen,' however it carves out an exception for 'response aircraft in support of law enforcement aircraft,' meaning that police aircraft continue to monitor the protesters’ camps.
'In essence, a ‘giant tarp’ has been laid over the site, allowing law enforcement to act with impunity and without any witnesses,' Peter Sachs, a drone law attorney in Connecticut, wrote on his blog earlier this week.
Gutterman of Syracuse University told me the TFR has 'the effect of prior restraint,' an established First Amendment violation in which the government places a restriction on expression before it can take place."
I have seen some of their drone footage and in my opinion they blatantly and consistently violate FAA rules about flying over people. They fly, to my mind, in a threatening manner close to the police. I think the police had every right to shoot at the quadcopter in the video I've seen.
"On October 23, the Morton County Sheriff’s Department announced it had shot down a drone after it had approached a police helicopter 'in a threatening manner.' Soon after, it petitioned the FAA for the TFR, which extends until at least Friday (in the past, TFRs have been immediately renewed after they expire).
The TFR says 'no pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this Notice to Airmen,' however it carves out an exception for 'response aircraft in support of law enforcement aircraft,' meaning that police aircraft continue to monitor the protesters’ camps.
'In essence, a ‘giant tarp’ has been laid over the site, allowing law enforcement to act with impunity and without any witnesses,' Peter Sachs, a drone law attorney in Connecticut, wrote on his blog earlier this week.
Gutterman of Syracuse University told me the TFR has 'the effect of prior restraint,' an established First Amendment violation in which the government places a restriction on expression before it can take place."
I have seen some of their drone footage and in my opinion they blatantly and consistently violate FAA rules about flying over people. They fly, to my mind, in a threatening manner close to the police. I think the police had every right to shoot at the quadcopter in the video I've seen.
Monday, November 28, 2016
UK issues drone code
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/11/caa-drone-code-rules-2016-2/
"To make things a little easier for pilots to remember, the watchdog has come up with a mnemonic aid as follows:
Earlier this month it emerged that airline pilots reported four near misses with drones in a month, including one flying near London's Shard and another at Liverpool airport"
I hope people get the message.
"To make things a little easier for pilots to remember, the watchdog has come up with a mnemonic aid as follows:
- Don't fly near airports or airfields
- Remember to stay below 400ft (120m) and at least 150ft (50m) away from buildings and people
- Observe your drone at all times
- Never fly near aircraft
- Enjoy responsibly
Earlier this month it emerged that airline pilots reported four near misses with drones in a month, including one flying near London's Shard and another at Liverpool airport"
I hope people get the message.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Pipeline protester's drone gets shot down
I would say this guy is ignoring the FAA rules about flying over private property. But oh well. I just hope he knows the FAA could come after him.
quadcopter takes its orders, does the work, and comes back all by itself
http://aviationweek.com/defense/aerovironment-enters-commercial-drone-market-hybrid-quadcopter
"AeroVironment is emphasizing the drone’s ease of use: the operator plans a mission withthe tablet by tracing his finger over a map. The system guides the operator through a simple pre-flight check. The operator then presses the “fly” button, and the drone autonomously takes off, flies the mission and lands.
The Quantix carries color and multispectral sensors. AeroVironment says the DSS uses proprietary algorithms to produce high-resolution datasets and analyses of crops, bridges, roads, railways, pipelines and other assets."
so now you don't even need to know how to fly.
"AeroVironment is emphasizing the drone’s ease of use: the operator plans a mission withthe tablet by tracing his finger over a map. The system guides the operator through a simple pre-flight check. The operator then presses the “fly” button, and the drone autonomously takes off, flies the mission and lands.
The Quantix carries color and multispectral sensors. AeroVironment says the DSS uses proprietary algorithms to produce high-resolution datasets and analyses of crops, bridges, roads, railways, pipelines and other assets."
so now you don't even need to know how to fly.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Canadian airliner swerves to avoid drone; injuries
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/14/toronto-airport-drone-incident-injuries-canada
"A Canadian airliner with 54 passengers on board had to swerve to avoid a suspected drone near Toronto early on Monday, slightly injuring two cabin crew, in the most serious case of its kind in Canada, officials said.
The Porter Airlines Bombardier Q400 twin-prop plane, which took off from Ottawa, was at 9,000ft (2,750 meters), descending into the city’s Billy Bishop waterfront airport, when the pilots saw an unmanned aerial vehicle.
'Two crew members performed an evasive maneuver to avoid the unidentified object,'
said Genevieve Corbin, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). Corbin said the object was most likely a drone."
It's very simple, follow the rules! Stay away from airports! Duh!
"A Canadian airliner with 54 passengers on board had to swerve to avoid a suspected drone near Toronto early on Monday, slightly injuring two cabin crew, in the most serious case of its kind in Canada, officials said.
The Porter Airlines Bombardier Q400 twin-prop plane, which took off from Ottawa, was at 9,000ft (2,750 meters), descending into the city’s Billy Bishop waterfront airport, when the pilots saw an unmanned aerial vehicle.
'Two crew members performed an evasive maneuver to avoid the unidentified object,'
said Genevieve Corbin, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). Corbin said the object was most likely a drone."
It's very simple, follow the rules! Stay away from airports! Duh!
Saturday, November 12, 2016
500-drone swarm by Intel
This show that you can use drone swarms for wonderful things. Let's keep it that way.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Gopro's Karma recalled already
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/11/gopro-recalls-karma-drone-after-some-lost-power-during-use/
"GoPro estimates that 2,500 Karma drones have been sold so far, and all of them are subject to this recall. The company decided to issue the recall because a small number of drones reportedly "lost power during operation" for unknown reasons. GoPro did state that no injuries or property damage have been reported as a result of this issue, but it's unknown exactly how many of the 2,500 drones have been affected by this problem."
well that escalated quickly. I hope it's a quick fix and I'm glad I haven't decided which quadcopter to buy yet.
"GoPro estimates that 2,500 Karma drones have been sold so far, and all of them are subject to this recall. The company decided to issue the recall because a small number of drones reportedly "lost power during operation" for unknown reasons. GoPro did state that no injuries or property damage have been reported as a result of this issue, but it's unknown exactly how many of the 2,500 drones have been affected by this problem."
well that escalated quickly. I hope it's a quick fix and I'm glad I haven't decided which quadcopter to buy yet.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Rescue drones in Tokyo
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20161012_14/
"Firefighters tested the small unmanned aircraft at an indoor swimming pool on Wednesday. The exercise envisioned a person who had been swept downstream in a river clogged with debris and fallen trees.
The firefighters maneuvered a drone with a camera attached and located the victim using a heat detector. They then dropped a small buoy to rescue the person.
The Tokyo Fire Department currently uses helicopters for rescue operations. It is studying the use of drones at sites that present risks of secondary disasters."
"Firefighters tested the small unmanned aircraft at an indoor swimming pool on Wednesday. The exercise envisioned a person who had been swept downstream in a river clogged with debris and fallen trees.
The firefighters maneuvered a drone with a camera attached and located the victim using a heat detector. They then dropped a small buoy to rescue the person.
The Tokyo Fire Department currently uses helicopters for rescue operations. It is studying the use of drones at sites that present risks of secondary disasters."
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Friday, October 28, 2016
Now someone can take over your quadcopter in flight
http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/10/drone-hijacker-gives-hackers-complete-control-of-aircraft-in-midflight/
Well that's not very nice.
"It's a radio transmitter that seizes complete control of nearby drones as they're in mid-flight. From then on, the drones are under the full control of the person with the hijacking device. The remote control in the possession of the original operator experiences a loss of all functions, including steering, acceleration, and altitude. The hack works against any drone that communicates over DSMx, a widely used remote control protocol for operating hobbyist drones, planes, helicopters, cars, and boats."
This is pretty scary. If your quadcopter suddenly veers out of your control and hits someone, how on earth could you prove you were no longer in control?
Well that's not very nice.
"It's a radio transmitter that seizes complete control of nearby drones as they're in mid-flight. From then on, the drones are under the full control of the person with the hijacking device. The remote control in the possession of the original operator experiences a loss of all functions, including steering, acceleration, and altitude. The hack works against any drone that communicates over DSMx, a widely used remote control protocol for operating hobbyist drones, planes, helicopters, cars, and boats."
This is pretty scary. If your quadcopter suddenly veers out of your control and hits someone, how on earth could you prove you were no longer in control?
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
replacing a light bulb with a drone
Do you have high ceilings? Hard to change the light bulb? Try this!
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
military drone swarms; the phrase you will hear more often in the future
http://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-mini-drone-attack-swarms-2016-10
"The mini-drones, called Perdix, are government designed yet built with commercial off-the-shelf elements. William Roper, who reports to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office, said the effort was showing promise for possible near-term combat advantage.
'They are expendable and fly low as a surveillance asset. You can have a lot of them for a saturation approach. Saturating has an advantage over the thing it has to defend against. Its defender has to take more time and money to defend against it,' Roper told a small group of reporters.
While Roper did not wish to openly discuss the particular sensor technologies used by Perdix, he did explain that they could be quickly launched from an aircraft’s flare dispensers."
Oh boy. They can go in all kinds of directions with this, from surveillance to offense.
"The mini-drones, called Perdix, are government designed yet built with commercial off-the-shelf elements. William Roper, who reports to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office, said the effort was showing promise for possible near-term combat advantage.
'They are expendable and fly low as a surveillance asset. You can have a lot of them for a saturation approach. Saturating has an advantage over the thing it has to defend against. Its defender has to take more time and money to defend against it,' Roper told a small group of reporters.
While Roper did not wish to openly discuss the particular sensor technologies used by Perdix, he did explain that they could be quickly launched from an aircraft’s flare dispensers."
Oh boy. They can go in all kinds of directions with this, from surveillance to offense.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Police shoot down a drone in North Dakota
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzEKNLJqG3cwSU0yNlh1bEhZZjg/view
Follow the rules people. Especially don't violate the rules by targeting the police. Sheesh.
Here's some video;
https://www.facebook.com/drone2bwild/videos/vb.1049357688463892/1218059544927038/?type=2&theater
Follow the rules people. Especially don't violate the rules by targeting the police. Sheesh.
Here's some video;
https://www.facebook.com/drone2bwild/videos/vb.1049357688463892/1218059544927038/?type=2&theater
Saturday, October 22, 2016
covering the war with drones
http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/drone-footage-captures-images-iraqi-army-offensive-liberate-42986157?cid=clicksource_4380645_4_heads_posts_vert_related
ABC News shows the Iraqi army preparing for an assault on Mosul. I wonder how far quadcopters will be used in covering war? Overhead views of battles?
Here's a video the Peshmerga made in June;
https://youtu.be/m5GtLTCduTk
ABC News shows the Iraqi army preparing for an assault on Mosul. I wonder how far quadcopters will be used in covering war? Overhead views of battles?
Here's a video the Peshmerga made in June;
https://youtu.be/m5GtLTCduTk
3D printing and safety concerns; can you trust that design?
https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/21/researchers-sabotage-3d-printer-files-to-destroy-a-drone/
"Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), the University of South Alabama, and Singapore University of Technology and Design have successfully injected malicious code into a computer which, in turn, added invisible commands to a file containing a 3D model of a drone propeller. When they printed the model and attached it to the drone, the propeller broke upon take-off. This killed the drone.
In short, the exploit, codenamed Dr0wned, was able to modify a digital file that, in turn, destroyed a physical device."
well darn. This has larger implications of course, but the moral must be; 1) keep your computer secure and don't open files that you aren't 100% sure of, and 2) test your equipment.
"Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), the University of South Alabama, and Singapore University of Technology and Design have successfully injected malicious code into a computer which, in turn, added invisible commands to a file containing a 3D model of a drone propeller. When they printed the model and attached it to the drone, the propeller broke upon take-off. This killed the drone.
In short, the exploit, codenamed Dr0wned, was able to modify a digital file that, in turn, destroyed a physical device."
well darn. This has larger implications of course, but the moral must be; 1) keep your computer secure and don't open files that you aren't 100% sure of, and 2) test your equipment.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
stun guns on quadcopters?
http://www.businessinsider.com/police-drones-armed-with-stun-guns-taser-2016-10
Maybe there should be law that police can't arm drones with anything lethal.
Maybe there should be law that police can't arm drones with anything lethal.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
quadcopters can be used for bad too... ISIS
https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/13/how-consumer-drones-wind-up-in-the-hands-of-isis-fighters/?sr_share=twitter
"But this week’s attack marks the first time ISIS fighters have turned a diminutive hobby drone into a deadly weapon, the New York Times reports, and it has Pentagon officials racing to respond to the new threat.
The attack is also a problem for commercial drone companies — particularly DJI, the maker of the popular Phantom — which are now facing questions about how their products end up in the hands of the world’s most notorious terrorist group."
Most commercial quadcopters are too small to carry any sized payload. But like any good thing, it can also be used for bad. That's just how life is. So, as DJI says, you try to make it hard for the bad.
"But this week’s attack marks the first time ISIS fighters have turned a diminutive hobby drone into a deadly weapon, the New York Times reports, and it has Pentagon officials racing to respond to the new threat.
The attack is also a problem for commercial drone companies — particularly DJI, the maker of the popular Phantom — which are now facing questions about how their products end up in the hands of the world’s most notorious terrorist group."
Most commercial quadcopters are too small to carry any sized payload. But like any good thing, it can also be used for bad. That's just how life is. So, as DJI says, you try to make it hard for the bad.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
drone catches another drone
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/10/watch-a-drone-hunting-quadcopter-attack-its-prey/
"Using machine learning software that’s constantly improving the Airspace’s autonomous capabilities, a user can either specifically target a nearby drone using a mobile app, or the flying sentry can identity them itself using “machine vision and deep learning to detect anomalies in the sky and classify rogue drones”. Here’s to hoping a seagull in the wrong place at the wrong time doesn’t get classified as a target."
I'm thinking it will be a while before it can tell the difernce between a bird and a drone.
"Using machine learning software that’s constantly improving the Airspace’s autonomous capabilities, a user can either specifically target a nearby drone using a mobile app, or the flying sentry can identity them itself using “machine vision and deep learning to detect anomalies in the sky and classify rogue drones”. Here’s to hoping a seagull in the wrong place at the wrong time doesn’t get classified as a target."
I'm thinking it will be a while before it can tell the difernce between a bird and a drone.
Rwanda leads the way in drone delivery
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37646474
"What is being hailed as the world's first commercial regular drone delivery service is beginning drop-offs in Rwanda.
"What is being hailed as the world's first commercial regular drone delivery service is beginning drop-offs in Rwanda.
The operation uses fixed-wing drones that automatically fly to destinations in the central African nation.
They release small packages attached to parachutes without needing to land at the delivery points before returning."
This looks like a great system to fulfill a particular niche.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
weaponized drones now used in war
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/isil-drone-deadly-iraq-attack-161012151854280.html
"Two Kurdish Peshmerga were killed and a pair of French commandos wounded after a booby-trapped drone launched by ISIL fighters blew up earlier this month near Iraq's Mosul city."
"'It seems it was booby-trapped,' Jabbar al-Yawar, secretary-general of the autonomous Kurdish region's defence ministry, told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday, adding that it detonated when soldiers attempted to pick it up."
No longer just a toy or recon device.
"Two Kurdish Peshmerga were killed and a pair of French commandos wounded after a booby-trapped drone launched by ISIL fighters blew up earlier this month near Iraq's Mosul city."
"'It seems it was booby-trapped,' Jabbar al-Yawar, secretary-general of the autonomous Kurdish region's defence ministry, told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday, adding that it detonated when soldiers attempted to pick it up."
No longer just a toy or recon device.
Friday, October 7, 2016
how to deal with unwanted drones
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37528390
"Scientists from the Michigan Technological University have shown off a "drone catcher" that they hope will be used to capture rogue drones.
The' catcher' can be operated autonomously or under the control of ground based pilots. It works by launching a large net at the intended target."
Or maybe this:
http://makezine.com/projects/build-wi-fi-drone-disabler-with-raspberry-pi/
"Now we’ll look at how you might automate this attack with a Raspberry Pi, a touchscreen, and a couple of Bash scripts.
I used a great tutorial provided by Adafruit (learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pitft-28-inch-resistive-touchscreen-display-raspberry-pi) to set up my Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen, so that I could launch my attacks with a click. Assuming that you have a Pi already set up, let’s walk through how you could automate this."
Attack of the Raspberry Pi!
"Scientists from the Michigan Technological University have shown off a "drone catcher" that they hope will be used to capture rogue drones.
The' catcher' can be operated autonomously or under the control of ground based pilots. It works by launching a large net at the intended target."
Or maybe this:
http://makezine.com/projects/build-wi-fi-drone-disabler-with-raspberry-pi/
"Now we’ll look at how you might automate this attack with a Raspberry Pi, a touchscreen, and a couple of Bash scripts.
I used a great tutorial provided by Adafruit (learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-pitft-28-inch-resistive-touchscreen-display-raspberry-pi) to set up my Raspberry Pi with a touchscreen, so that I could launch my attacks with a click. Assuming that you have a Pi already set up, let’s walk through how you could automate this."
Attack of the Raspberry Pi!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
DJI responds to Gopro's Karma with it's own portable quadcopter
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/27/13058722/dji-mavic-pro-drone-foldable-4k-gesture-control
"The amazing thing about the Mavic Pro is that, while it shrinks the physical form factor of a DJI drone down significantly, it doesn’t sacrifice any of the advanced features that make the Phantom series so popular. You still get sensors on the front and bottom, providing you with obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, autonomous landing, and stability indoors without GPS."
Well that didn't take long. The Mavic has more features than the Karma, but I'm probably going with the Karma next year. But that's still months away so things could change in the market again.
"The amazing thing about the Mavic Pro is that, while it shrinks the physical form factor of a DJI drone down significantly, it doesn’t sacrifice any of the advanced features that make the Phantom series so popular. You still get sensors on the front and bottom, providing you with obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, autonomous landing, and stability indoors without GPS."
Well that didn't take long. The Mavic has more features than the Karma, but I'm probably going with the Karma next year. But that's still months away so things could change in the market again.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Dude tries out a Gopro Karma quadcopter
At the end he mentions that a Gropro dude was with him just in case. i was wondering why he flew it over the water on his first try, since any mistake would mean he lost the thing.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Using a drone to inspect a commercial plane
http://iq.intel.com/drone-data-sparks-a-new-industrial-revolution/?
"The inspection, which usually takes about two hours, took just 15 minutes with the drone. 'We believe this prototype will further enable our products and our industry, as well as others,' said Nanduri."
This is a good use. And when blimps start becoming popular again, this will be a great way to inspect them.
"The inspection, which usually takes about two hours, took just 15 minutes with the drone. 'We believe this prototype will further enable our products and our industry, as well as others,' said Nanduri."
This is a good use. And when blimps start becoming popular again, this will be a great way to inspect them.
Monday, September 19, 2016
GoPro's Karma is here at $799!
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/19/12961658/gopro-karma-drone-announced-price-specs-release
"The biggest selling point for Karma is its ease of use. That starts with a foldable design for easy storage and carrying — GoPro is even including a small backpack with the drone. Karma users will control the quadcopter from a very simple clamshell-shaped controller. On one half of the controller is a touchscreen display and on the other are two joysticks with a bare minimum of buttons. You can use the controller to set up a cable cam mode, too."
I don't see information about batteries, range, and stuff, but otherwise this looks good to me.
"The biggest selling point for Karma is its ease of use. That starts with a foldable design for easy storage and carrying — GoPro is even including a small backpack with the drone. Karma users will control the quadcopter from a very simple clamshell-shaped controller. On one half of the controller is a touchscreen display and on the other are two joysticks with a bare minimum of buttons. You can use the controller to set up a cable cam mode, too."
I don't see information about batteries, range, and stuff, but otherwise this looks good to me.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Keeping an eye on all flying drones
https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/15/darpa-aerial-dragnet-monitor-urban-drone-traffic/
"While the FAA is using much more consumer-friendly burrito delivery tests to build out a method of low-altitude air traffic control, DARPA envisions a system that can be used by the military in urban settings overseas or for homeland security applications in the US. DARPA's plan would include a network of surveillance nodes that can track slow, low-flying drones without the need for a direct line of sight. Those nodes could be anything from a fixed instrument to a tethered or 'long endurance' drone and the whole thing is meant to be cost-effective and highly scalable for larger coverage areas.
While the agency doesn't have a plan for implementing this dragnet just yet, the program is seeking proposals from teams with 'expertise in sensors, signal processing, and networked autonomy.' Full details about the project goals have been posted to FedBizOps and there is a Proposers Day scheduled for September 26th, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia."
This seems like overkill to me. But I don't have an alternative.
"While the FAA is using much more consumer-friendly burrito delivery tests to build out a method of low-altitude air traffic control, DARPA envisions a system that can be used by the military in urban settings overseas or for homeland security applications in the US. DARPA's plan would include a network of surveillance nodes that can track slow, low-flying drones without the need for a direct line of sight. Those nodes could be anything from a fixed instrument to a tethered or 'long endurance' drone and the whole thing is meant to be cost-effective and highly scalable for larger coverage areas.
While the agency doesn't have a plan for implementing this dragnet just yet, the program is seeking proposals from teams with 'expertise in sensors, signal processing, and networked autonomy.' Full details about the project goals have been posted to FedBizOps and there is a Proposers Day scheduled for September 26th, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia."
This seems like overkill to me. But I don't have an alternative.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
sending relief aid via drone
http://matadornetwork.com/network/new-edible-drone-gets-humanitarian-aid-worlds-difficult-access-places/
"On deployment, an onboard navigation system would guide the Pouncer to head towards the target area, pretty much the same as a skydiver wearing a wingsuit. Right before landing, a small parachute is deployed at low altitude, and delivers the Pouncer to the specified target with precision. With the ability to be deployed from range and altitude, the Pouncer is less affected by weather conditions than traditional parachute deliveries and keeps pilots of the transport aircraft carrying the Pouncer vehicles out of danger zones, too.
Every Pouncer is capable of delivering 110 pounds of medical supplies or food to an accuracy of around 30 feet from 25 miles away. The drone can also be broken down and used as fuel — the lightweight wooden airframe is perfect for starting fires and building shelters."
Sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure why they want to make them self-destructable. Why not re-use them after the crisis?
"On deployment, an onboard navigation system would guide the Pouncer to head towards the target area, pretty much the same as a skydiver wearing a wingsuit. Right before landing, a small parachute is deployed at low altitude, and delivers the Pouncer to the specified target with precision. With the ability to be deployed from range and altitude, the Pouncer is less affected by weather conditions than traditional parachute deliveries and keeps pilots of the transport aircraft carrying the Pouncer vehicles out of danger zones, too.
Every Pouncer is capable of delivering 110 pounds of medical supplies or food to an accuracy of around 30 feet from 25 miles away. The drone can also be broken down and used as fuel — the lightweight wooden airframe is perfect for starting fires and building shelters."
Sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure why they want to make them self-destructable. Why not re-use them after the crisis?
Monday, September 12, 2016
a drone with arms
http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/drones/a22798/prodrone-drone-with-arms/
"The horrifically named 'PD6B-AW-ARM' has two arms that end in claw-like grabbers which it can use to perch when not in flight, or to hoist unwitting cargo up to 20 pounds in weight. That's enough strength to let it swoop down, pick up a chair, and fly off."
"The horrifically named 'PD6B-AW-ARM' has two arms that end in claw-like grabbers which it can use to perch when not in flight, or to hoist unwitting cargo up to 20 pounds in weight. That's enough strength to let it swoop down, pick up a chair, and fly off."
Thursday, September 8, 2016
North Dakota cops can use armed drones
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/north-dakota-becomes-first-us-state-to-legalise-use-of-armed-drones-by-police-10492397.html
"Armed drones could be used by police in the US state of North Dakota after local lawmakers legalised their use.
While they will be limited to 'less than lethal' weapons, tear gas, tasers, rubber bullets and pepper spray could all be used in theory by the remote controlled flying machines.
In a classic case of unintended consequences, the original sponsor, Republican state representative Rick Becker said he was unhappy with the way legislation turned out. "
Brave New World.
"Armed drones could be used by police in the US state of North Dakota after local lawmakers legalised their use.
While they will be limited to 'less than lethal' weapons, tear gas, tasers, rubber bullets and pepper spray could all be used in theory by the remote controlled flying machines.
In a classic case of unintended consequences, the original sponsor, Republican state representative Rick Becker said he was unhappy with the way legislation turned out. "
Brave New World.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Scientology's Gold Base gets the drone treatment
http://tonyortega.org/2016/09/07/scientologys-secret-sites-the-bunker-premieres-drone-footage-never-before-seen-of-int-base/
"Recently, the Underground Bunker was contacted by an anonymous source who said he had something rather spectacular he wanted to share with our readers. We were stunned when we saw what he was talking about. He has made super-high-quality films of Scientology facilities, using a 4K camera mounted on a drone.
You have never seen Scientology’s secretive compounds like this. Our source says that he complied with local laws when he made these videos, but we have a feeling Scientology will be contacting YouTube to try have these films taken down. So while they’re available, please give them a good look.
Today, we’re embedding two flyovers of Scientology’s 500-acre international management headquarters near Hemet, California. Known as “Int Base” to Scientologists, it’s also called “Gold” or “Gold Base” because it houses the studios of Golden Era Productions, where Scientology makes its films."
well.... he might have complied with local laws, but he violated FCC rules. Still, this is a beautiful video of a seldom-seen cult compound.
"Recently, the Underground Bunker was contacted by an anonymous source who said he had something rather spectacular he wanted to share with our readers. We were stunned when we saw what he was talking about. He has made super-high-quality films of Scientology facilities, using a 4K camera mounted on a drone.
You have never seen Scientology’s secretive compounds like this. Our source says that he complied with local laws when he made these videos, but we have a feeling Scientology will be contacting YouTube to try have these films taken down. So while they’re available, please give them a good look.
Today, we’re embedding two flyovers of Scientology’s 500-acre international management headquarters near Hemet, California. Known as “Int Base” to Scientologists, it’s also called “Gold” or “Gold Base” because it houses the studios of Golden Era Productions, where Scientology makes its films."
well.... he might have complied with local laws, but he violated FCC rules. Still, this is a beautiful video of a seldom-seen cult compound.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
the fuzziness of local drone rules
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/new-regulations-open-skies-to-thousands-more-drones/2292339
"Boodheshwar said he doesn't want to hinder the budding industry, and even ticked off the ways the technology could help the city: search and rescue, environmental monitoring, criminal investigations. Before the town council approved the ordinance this summer, drone takeoffs and landings were banned in the city.
'We're trying to embrace it and not push it away,' he said. 'We want to embrace it in a controlled sort of way with the powers that we have.'
St. Petersburg police Officer Robert Lord raised another point: If there is nothing on the books locally, enforcing FAA regulations is reduced to little more than an 'observe and report' role. If the city had rules that resembled the FAA's — for example, keeping a drone within your line of sight, flying slower than 100 mph — the city could have ticketing power."
This is an important point. Local laws can be even more strict than federal rules.
"Boodheshwar said he doesn't want to hinder the budding industry, and even ticked off the ways the technology could help the city: search and rescue, environmental monitoring, criminal investigations. Before the town council approved the ordinance this summer, drone takeoffs and landings were banned in the city.
'We're trying to embrace it and not push it away,' he said. 'We want to embrace it in a controlled sort of way with the powers that we have.'
St. Petersburg police Officer Robert Lord raised another point: If there is nothing on the books locally, enforcing FAA regulations is reduced to little more than an 'observe and report' role. If the city had rules that resembled the FAA's — for example, keeping a drone within your line of sight, flying slower than 100 mph — the city could have ticketing power."
This is an important point. Local laws can be even more strict than federal rules.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Anti-drone device for your home or office
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-01/shields-up-new-device-promises-to-ward-off-unwanted-drones
"The ApolloShield, which looks like a home internet router, uses radio waves to prevent small drones from flying overhead. Unlike the radar-based systems that can only detect drones, it promises to get rid of them.
Hobbyist drones have unique codes in their signals so their users can control them. ApolloShield’s receivers scan for these codes, alerting you if there’s an unauthorized drone overhead.
ApolloShield’s app essentially spoofs the drone’s remote control signal, allowing you to redirect the copter elsewhere, without crashing it."
I don't think I need one, but there are no doubt some people and/or companies that would enjoy having this.
"The ApolloShield, which looks like a home internet router, uses radio waves to prevent small drones from flying overhead. Unlike the radar-based systems that can only detect drones, it promises to get rid of them.
Hobbyist drones have unique codes in their signals so their users can control them. ApolloShield’s receivers scan for these codes, alerting you if there’s an unauthorized drone overhead.
ApolloShield’s app essentially spoofs the drone’s remote control signal, allowing you to redirect the copter elsewhere, without crashing it."
I don't think I need one, but there are no doubt some people and/or companies that would enjoy having this.
Gopro to finally release their quadcopter!
https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/01/gopros-karma-drone-gets-its-debut-on-september-19/
"What’s GoPro going to bring to the table of drone photography? We’ll find out September 19, according to the action camera maker’s official Twitter account. They posted a short teaser for its upcoming Karma drone, which was originally due out in the first half of 2016 before a delay."
Yay! I've been waiting to see what Gopro puts on the market before deciding what upgrade quadcopter to buy.
"What’s GoPro going to bring to the table of drone photography? We’ll find out September 19, according to the action camera maker’s official Twitter account. They posted a short teaser for its upcoming Karma drone, which was originally due out in the first half of 2016 before a delay."
Yay! I've been waiting to see what Gopro puts on the market before deciding what upgrade quadcopter to buy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Parrot's X-wing quadcopter
https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/30/parrot-unveils-a-hybrid-fixed-wing-quadcopter-minidrone-that-looks-like-an-x-wing/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity_1462_7534795484460649204
"The Parrot Swing takes off vertically and translates from one place to another. But if you push the joystick forward, the drone will tilt forward and use its polystyrene wings to fly more like a plane. In this flying mode, it kind of looks like an X-wing."
This doesn't say, but does the camera angle transition too?
"The Parrot Swing takes off vertically and translates from one place to another. But if you push the joystick forward, the drone will tilt forward and use its polystyrene wings to fly more like a plane. In this flying mode, it kind of looks like an X-wing."
This doesn't say, but does the camera angle transition too?
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Can you shoot down a drone over your property?
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/08/65-year-old-woman-takes-out-drone-over-her-virginia-property-with-one-shot/
"For now, American law does not recognize the concept of aerial trespass. But as the consumer drone age has taken flight, legal scholars have increasingly wondered about this situation. The best case-law on the issue dates back to 1946, long before inexpensive consumer drones were technically feasible. That year, the Supreme Court ruled in a case known as United States v. Causby that a farmer in North Carolina could assert property rights up to 83 feet in the air.
In that case, American military aircraft were flying above his farm, disturbing his sleep and upsetting his chickens. As such, the court found he was owed compensation. However, the same decision also specifically mentioned a 'minimum safe altitude of flight' at 500 feet—leaving the zone between 83 and 500 feet as a legal gray area. 'The landowner owns at least as much of the space above the ground as he can occupy or use in connection with the land,' the court concluded.
Last year, a pilot in Stanislaus County, California, filed a small claims lawsuit against a neighbor who shot down his drone and won. However, it is not clear whether the pilot managed to collect. Similarly, a case ensued in Kentucky after a man shot down a drone that he believed was flying above his property. The shooter in that case, William Merideth, was cleared of local charges, including wanton endangerment."
Maybe have a compromise and you can capture it, but not destroy it?
"For now, American law does not recognize the concept of aerial trespass. But as the consumer drone age has taken flight, legal scholars have increasingly wondered about this situation. The best case-law on the issue dates back to 1946, long before inexpensive consumer drones were technically feasible. That year, the Supreme Court ruled in a case known as United States v. Causby that a farmer in North Carolina could assert property rights up to 83 feet in the air.
In that case, American military aircraft were flying above his farm, disturbing his sleep and upsetting his chickens. As such, the court found he was owed compensation. However, the same decision also specifically mentioned a 'minimum safe altitude of flight' at 500 feet—leaving the zone between 83 and 500 feet as a legal gray area. 'The landowner owns at least as much of the space above the ground as he can occupy or use in connection with the land,' the court concluded.
Last year, a pilot in Stanislaus County, California, filed a small claims lawsuit against a neighbor who shot down his drone and won. However, it is not clear whether the pilot managed to collect. Similarly, a case ensued in Kentucky after a man shot down a drone that he believed was flying above his property. The shooter in that case, William Merideth, was cleared of local charges, including wanton endangerment."
Maybe have a compromise and you can capture it, but not destroy it?
The Pentagon worries about quadcopters
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-wp-blm-pentagon-drones-ad0a4d1c-6929-11e6-91cb-ecb5418830e9-20160823-story.html
"The U.S. military has begun studying small drones and how best to respond. Earlier this month, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a request for ideas on how to protect troops from the new threat; it is planning a workshop next month. 'We're looking for scalable, modular, and affordable approaches that could be fielded within the next three to four years and could rapidly evolve with threat and tactical advancements,' a DARPA program manager, Jean-Charles Ledé, said in a statement.
Closer to the battlefield, the Marine Corps has begun integrating small drones into training exercises at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Neller said. A Marine or soldier who spots a drone overhead would typically shoot it down, but smaller drones can operate surreptitiously and elude radar since they are barely larger than a bird. Their small motors make acoustic detection enormously hard, and while wide-area camera sensors deployed on the ground might detect a drone, they usually require large computational resources in the field. One solution is an electronic signal jammer to prevent a drone's operator from flying within a certain vicinity, an approach that U.S. forces have studied."
You build something useful and beneficial, then the bad guys get hold of it... every time.
"The U.S. military has begun studying small drones and how best to respond. Earlier this month, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a request for ideas on how to protect troops from the new threat; it is planning a workshop next month. 'We're looking for scalable, modular, and affordable approaches that could be fielded within the next three to four years and could rapidly evolve with threat and tactical advancements,' a DARPA program manager, Jean-Charles Ledé, said in a statement.
Closer to the battlefield, the Marine Corps has begun integrating small drones into training exercises at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Neller said. A Marine or soldier who spots a drone overhead would typically shoot it down, but smaller drones can operate surreptitiously and elude radar since they are barely larger than a bird. Their small motors make acoustic detection enormously hard, and while wide-area camera sensors deployed on the ground might detect a drone, they usually require large computational resources in the field. One solution is an electronic signal jammer to prevent a drone's operator from flying within a certain vicinity, an approach that U.S. forces have studied."
You build something useful and beneficial, then the bad guys get hold of it... every time.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
quadcopter crashes, lady steals it, hilarity ensues
http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/drone-theft-caught-by-gopro/?utm_source=k1&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=cpc_test&kwp_0=180736&kwp_4=817200&kwp_1=407452
"When the drone lost signal, it landed on the ground – as it’s programmed to do. While the landing was ordinary, what happened next was anything but. A passerby grabs the drone and stuffs it under her shirt, in what looks like a theft. But the woman was unaware that the GoPro was still recording, and it captured not only the entire incident, but her elaborate scheme (warning: video contains strong language) that ended involving law enforcement."
Good grief. Keep those cameras rolling is all I can say.
"When the drone lost signal, it landed on the ground – as it’s programmed to do. While the landing was ordinary, what happened next was anything but. A passerby grabs the drone and stuffs it under her shirt, in what looks like a theft. But the woman was unaware that the GoPro was still recording, and it captured not only the entire incident, but her elaborate scheme (warning: video contains strong language) that ended involving law enforcement."
Good grief. Keep those cameras rolling is all I can say.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Want good news coverage? Have a drone handy
http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/37182784
the TV news media are understanding the value of quadcopters now. This will every soon be a required tool in their toolkit to cover the news.
the TV news media are understanding the value of quadcopters now. This will every soon be a required tool in their toolkit to cover the news.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
http://www.wkow.com/story/32817207/2016/08/22/faa-investigating-man-who-flew-drone-over-lambeau-field
"GREEN BAY (WKOW) -- Federal officials are investigating a man who flew a drone over Lambeau Field during a Packers home game last Thursday.
Green Bay police say the incident raises serious security concerns. The drone was seen near the north scoreboard.
City ordinance and federal law ban drones near Lambeau because of the high capacity and potential for a security breach."
Follow the rules, people.
"GREEN BAY (WKOW) -- Federal officials are investigating a man who flew a drone over Lambeau Field during a Packers home game last Thursday.
Green Bay police say the incident raises serious security concerns. The drone was seen near the north scoreboard.
City ordinance and federal law ban drones near Lambeau because of the high capacity and potential for a security breach."
Follow the rules, people.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Quadcopters bring contraband to prisons
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-37152665
On 13 August, a man was spotted by officers acting suspiciously near the prison. He fled but dropped two bags of class B drugs and phones."
As is usually the case, useful things can be used for good and bad.
"Drones carrying large amounts of
drugs and mobile phones have been intercepted by police as they were
being flown near a north London jail.
One device crashed after it
was tracked flying over HMP Pentonville on 14 August, while another
drone was seized mid-flight later the same day.On 13 August, a man was spotted by officers acting suspiciously near the prison. He fled but dropped two bags of class B drugs and phones."
As is usually the case, useful things can be used for good and bad.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
70 mph quadcopter might be for you!
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/12/meet-the-18-year-old-entrepreneur-who-built-the-worlds-fastest-drone.html
"Teal can fly faster than 70 mph, with no out-of-the-box modifications needed, and the drone is able to withstand 40 mph gusts. Matus said he's been able to fly the drone as fast as 85 mph, and he's working on add-ons that can make it go even faster.
Teal comes built with a tiny Nvidia computer that is capable of machine learning and image recognition. It's essentially a flying computer, Matus said. Further, Matus said the platform will come with an open software development kit, which he hopes app developers and other drone makers will adopt.
At $1,300, Teal's price falls in line with the market-leading DJI Phantom series."
I'm personally not interested in speed, but this looks pretty impressive.
"Teal can fly faster than 70 mph, with no out-of-the-box modifications needed, and the drone is able to withstand 40 mph gusts. Matus said he's been able to fly the drone as fast as 85 mph, and he's working on add-ons that can make it go even faster.
Teal comes built with a tiny Nvidia computer that is capable of machine learning and image recognition. It's essentially a flying computer, Matus said. Further, Matus said the platform will come with an open software development kit, which he hopes app developers and other drone makers will adopt.
At $1,300, Teal's price falls in line with the market-leading DJI Phantom series."
I'm personally not interested in speed, but this looks pretty impressive.
When drones go rogue; a case from the 1950s
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160811-the-runaway-drone-that-caused-a-cold-war-air-battle
"But there was a problem. The rockets failed to launch when the pilots first attempted to fire them using an automatic system – they would have to switch to manual. But at that point the drone changed its course again, this time back towards Los Angeles. The situation was becoming more urgent. An initial volley of 42 rockets was fired, to no avail. The second plane fired another 42 – still no hit. The drone was now nearing a suburban town called Newhall. Another volley. All the rockets missed.
Finally, as the drone turned in the direction of Palmdale, each plane fired off another round of rockets – this time 30 each. It was their last chance. But every rocket missed; 208 rockets fired and no luck. The drone flew on but ran out of fuel. Eventually, it crashed eight miles north of Palmdale, cutting through electric cables as it ploughed into the ground."
So what would happen today if a Predator decided to take off on its own?
"But there was a problem. The rockets failed to launch when the pilots first attempted to fire them using an automatic system – they would have to switch to manual. But at that point the drone changed its course again, this time back towards Los Angeles. The situation was becoming more urgent. An initial volley of 42 rockets was fired, to no avail. The second plane fired another 42 – still no hit. The drone was now nearing a suburban town called Newhall. Another volley. All the rockets missed.
Finally, as the drone turned in the direction of Palmdale, each plane fired off another round of rockets – this time 30 each. It was their last chance. But every rocket missed; 208 rockets fired and no luck. The drone flew on but ran out of fuel. Eventually, it crashed eight miles north of Palmdale, cutting through electric cables as it ploughed into the ground."
So what would happen today if a Predator decided to take off on its own?
Friday, August 12, 2016
2106 Drone Nationals; a sport is being born!
http://www.airvuz.com/video/57abcfdc5872d20ea4a103fb
It's great to see the sport progressing. I was wondering how they would handle spectators to keep them safe, and it looks like they've partially figured that out now.
It's great to see the sport progressing. I was wondering how they would handle spectators to keep them safe, and it looks like they've partially figured that out now.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
quadcopters clearing mine fields
http://www.gizmag.com/mine-kafon-drone/44437/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massoudhassani/mine-kafon-drone
"The Mine Kafon Drone flies over dangerous areas to map, detect and detonate landmines from a safe distance. The drone works autonomously equipped with three separate interchangeable robotic extensions.
These three methodologies combined makes the MKD up to 20 times faster than traditional demining technologies. As well as being safer, it also up to 200 times cheaper."
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massoudhassani/mine-kafon-drone
"The Mine Kafon Drone flies over dangerous areas to map, detect and detonate landmines from a safe distance. The drone works autonomously equipped with three separate interchangeable robotic extensions.
These three methodologies combined makes the MKD up to 20 times faster than traditional demining technologies. As well as being safer, it also up to 200 times cheaper."
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
No Drone Zone at Republican convention
https://twitter.com/tvkatesnow/status/755413832869249024/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Monday, July 18, 2016
drone operator arrested for flying over fire
http://gizmo.do/Kye0x1C
"On Friday afternoon police officers arrested Eric Wamser, 57, of Foresthill, California. He’s being charged with interfering with firefighting operations. Wamser was allegedly taking aerial footage of the fire with his drone, though the model he was using has not been released. Police claim that Wamser posted some of the footage on social media, which helped lead to his arrest.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, there have been over a dozen hobby drones spotted near wildfires so far this year. And according to the U. S. Forest Service, firefighting aircraft in the United States have had to be grounded six times due to hobby drones interfering with their operations in 2016."
It's probably going to take a few such arrests before the gravity of such sinks in to the idiots who won't listen otherwise.
"On Friday afternoon police officers arrested Eric Wamser, 57, of Foresthill, California. He’s being charged with interfering with firefighting operations. Wamser was allegedly taking aerial footage of the fire with his drone, though the model he was using has not been released. Police claim that Wamser posted some of the footage on social media, which helped lead to his arrest.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, there have been over a dozen hobby drones spotted near wildfires so far this year. And according to the U. S. Forest Service, firefighting aircraft in the United States have had to be grounded six times due to hobby drones interfering with their operations in 2016."
It's probably going to take a few such arrests before the gravity of such sinks in to the idiots who won't listen otherwise.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
more attempts to thwart bad drones
https://www.rt.com/news/350305-pentagon-isis-drone-funding/
"An additional $20 million are needed to deal with Islamic State’s reconnaissance and bomber drones, the US Defense Department has told Congress. The money will be spent in addition to the $190 million already allocated to countering terrorist networks.
The money is expected to be given to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO), the Pentagon’s special office dealing with improvised explosive devices, Defense News reports.
By the end of 2016, the JIDO with a budget to deal with new IED threats that emerged during the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, will become a permanent establishment under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency."
This is indeed a threat. But it's the usual defense vs. offense escalation that comes with any new device.
"An additional $20 million are needed to deal with Islamic State’s reconnaissance and bomber drones, the US Defense Department has told Congress. The money will be spent in addition to the $190 million already allocated to countering terrorist networks.
The money is expected to be given to the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO), the Pentagon’s special office dealing with improvised explosive devices, Defense News reports.
By the end of 2016, the JIDO with a budget to deal with new IED threats that emerged during the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, will become a permanent establishment under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency."
This is indeed a threat. But it's the usual defense vs. offense escalation that comes with any new device.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Should robots be used to kill people?
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-dallas-robot-20160708-snap-story.html
"Fearing additional casualties, the officers deployed a small, remote-controlled robot to carry an explosive device near shooter Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, which they then detonated, killing him.
'We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was,' Police Chief David Brown said at a news conference Friday morning.' Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger .… We have confirmed that he's been deceased because of the detonation of the bomb.'"
They could have used a quadcopter in certain circumstances. Is this acceptable? More things to think about. In a way, delivering a piece of lead very fast, or a small bomb much more slowly are not that different.
"Fearing additional casualties, the officers deployed a small, remote-controlled robot to carry an explosive device near shooter Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, which they then detonated, killing him.
'We saw no other option but to use our bomb robot and place a device on its extension for it to detonate where the suspect was,' Police Chief David Brown said at a news conference Friday morning.' Other options would have exposed our officers to grave danger .… We have confirmed that he's been deceased because of the detonation of the bomb.'"
They could have used a quadcopter in certain circumstances. Is this acceptable? More things to think about. In a way, delivering a piece of lead very fast, or a small bomb much more slowly are not that different.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Be forewarned of pesky drones
http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/07/this-x-shaped-sensor-will-alert-you-to-incoming-drones-so-you-can-freak-out/
"Of course, not just rich people want to protect themselves against drones. Lee Jones, a Dedrone manager, explains that the German startup wants to sell to jails, prisons, embassies, police stations, military facilities, data centers, and even sports arenas.
Earlier this year, the company announced a deal with the New York Mets baseball team to install 11 trackers along the outside of Citi Field in Queens. The company also has a deal with the Suffolk County Prison to help to keep out unwanted contraband. For now, DroneTracker's capabilities are detection-only."
Ok, so you know there are drones around. then what?
"Of course, not just rich people want to protect themselves against drones. Lee Jones, a Dedrone manager, explains that the German startup wants to sell to jails, prisons, embassies, police stations, military facilities, data centers, and even sports arenas.
Earlier this year, the company announced a deal with the New York Mets baseball team to install 11 trackers along the outside of Citi Field in Queens. The company also has a deal with the Suffolk County Prison to help to keep out unwanted contraband. For now, DroneTracker's capabilities are detection-only."
Ok, so you know there are drones around. then what?
Saturday, June 25, 2016
turn your smart phone into a quadcopter?
http://store.xcraft.io/xplusone-store-xcraft-vtol-drone-sandpoint-id/phonedrone
"Since their inception, smartphones have been confined to only two dimensions – limited to roam the earth at ground level. It’s time to set your smartphone free! Grant your smartphone access to the third dimension with PhoneDrone Ethos! PhoneDrone Ethos is a remarkable device that gives your smartphone wings, allowing you to deploy your iPhone or Android phone as an autonomous aerial camera. Why is this revolutionary? We’ve leveraged the sensor, processor, and wireless capability of your smartphone. What you get is a powerful, cloud-connected aerial vehicle for a fraction of the cost of a typical drone."
I'm skeptical.
"Since their inception, smartphones have been confined to only two dimensions – limited to roam the earth at ground level. It’s time to set your smartphone free! Grant your smartphone access to the third dimension with PhoneDrone Ethos! PhoneDrone Ethos is a remarkable device that gives your smartphone wings, allowing you to deploy your iPhone or Android phone as an autonomous aerial camera. Why is this revolutionary? We’ve leveraged the sensor, processor, and wireless capability of your smartphone. What you get is a powerful, cloud-connected aerial vehicle for a fraction of the cost of a typical drone."
I'm skeptical.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Russians use drones against Ukraine
http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-s-intelligence-reports-dozens-of-flights-of-russian-assault-and-reconnaissance-drones-677246.html
"Combined Russian-separatists forces increasingly use unmanned aerial vehicles to spy on Ukrainian army and adjust fire in the combat zone.
'25 flights of drones were spotted over the past week, with five of them conducted reconnaissance operations from the territory of Russian federation,' the chief of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine's Defence Ministry Vadym Skibytskiy told at a briefing in Kyiv.
He added that the drones were also used to adjust artillery fire in the direction of Novoaidarsk, Donetsk, Volnovakha and Mariupol."
I wonder what altitude these things are flying? Hard to shoot down?
"Combined Russian-separatists forces increasingly use unmanned aerial vehicles to spy on Ukrainian army and adjust fire in the combat zone.
'25 flights of drones were spotted over the past week, with five of them conducted reconnaissance operations from the territory of Russian federation,' the chief of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine's Defence Ministry Vadym Skibytskiy told at a briefing in Kyiv.
He added that the drones were also used to adjust artillery fire in the direction of Novoaidarsk, Donetsk, Volnovakha and Mariupol."
I wonder what altitude these things are flying? Hard to shoot down?
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
New FAA rules out
https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=20515
"Under the final rule, the person actually flying a drone must be at least 16 years old and have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with such a certificate. To qualify for a remote pilot certificate, an individual must either pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center or have an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate. If qualifying under the latter provision, a pilot must have completed a flight review in the previous 24 months and must take a UAS online training course provided by the FAA. The TSA will conduct a security background check of all remote pilot applications prior to issuance of a certificate.
Operators are responsible for ensuring a drone is safe before flying, but the FAA is not requiring small UAS to comply with current agency airworthiness standards or aircraft certification. Instead, the remote pilot will simply have to perform a preflight visual and operational check of the small UAS to ensure that safety-pertinent systems are functioning property. This includes checking the communications link between the control station and the UAS.
Although the new rule does not specifically deal with privacy issues in the use of drones, and the FAA does not regulate how UAS gather data on people or property, the FAA is acting to address privacy considerations in this area. The FAA strongly encourages all UAS pilots to check local and state laws before gathering information through remote sensing technology or photography."
wow. So to fly a drone commercially you need a pilot's license? Amazing.
"Under the final rule, the person actually flying a drone must be at least 16 years old and have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with such a certificate. To qualify for a remote pilot certificate, an individual must either pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center or have an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate. If qualifying under the latter provision, a pilot must have completed a flight review in the previous 24 months and must take a UAS online training course provided by the FAA. The TSA will conduct a security background check of all remote pilot applications prior to issuance of a certificate.
Operators are responsible for ensuring a drone is safe before flying, but the FAA is not requiring small UAS to comply with current agency airworthiness standards or aircraft certification. Instead, the remote pilot will simply have to perform a preflight visual and operational check of the small UAS to ensure that safety-pertinent systems are functioning property. This includes checking the communications link between the control station and the UAS.
Although the new rule does not specifically deal with privacy issues in the use of drones, and the FAA does not regulate how UAS gather data on people or property, the FAA is acting to address privacy considerations in this area. The FAA strongly encourages all UAS pilots to check local and state laws before gathering information through remote sensing technology or photography."
wow. So to fly a drone commercially you need a pilot's license? Amazing.
Monday, June 20, 2016
quadcopter checks out a crop circle
I can't think of any better way to get a good look at these things.
Friday, June 17, 2016
The Oregon standoff people had 2 drones?
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/06/oregon_standoff_defendant_jaso.html
"In a prior court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel said Blomgren also told law enforcement that the occupation leaders never booby-trapped the wildlife sanctuary but talked about using 'IEDS,' or improvised explosive devices, when planning for a worst-case scenario and using at least two drones to spy on the FBI."
Hm. i'd like to know more about this.
"In a prior court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel said Blomgren also told law enforcement that the occupation leaders never booby-trapped the wildlife sanctuary but talked about using 'IEDS,' or improvised explosive devices, when planning for a worst-case scenario and using at least two drones to spy on the FBI."
Hm. i'd like to know more about this.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Idiot disrupts Dubai airport
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_DUBAI_AIRPORT_DRONE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-06-11-14-49-10
"DUBAI, United
Arab Emirates (AP) -- The busy Dubai International Airport
closed for over an hour after a drone flew into its airspace.
The
airport says the closure disrupted flights for 69 minutes on Saturday.
The airport, the world's busiest for international travel, reopened at
12:45 p.m. (0845 GMT)
This is not the first time a drone has disrupted flights into the airport, which is the base of the long-haul carrier Emirates."
What will it take to stop idiots? Jail time?
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
spying on your neighbors
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/154600195-story
"Gamboa says he watched the device go up and down the floors. At one point, he estimates, it got to within 15 feet of the side of the building
A local attorney says if the incident is a case of drone peeping, the violator has committed a felony act.
The punishment is no laughing matter -- up to five years behind bars and a $10,000 fine."
There will probably have to be some convictions before the idiots get the message.
"Gamboa says he watched the device go up and down the floors. At one point, he estimates, it got to within 15 feet of the side of the building
A local attorney says if the incident is a case of drone peeping, the violator has committed a felony act.
The punishment is no laughing matter -- up to five years behind bars and a $10,000 fine."
There will probably have to be some convictions before the idiots get the message.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
The quadcopter that wasn't; Zano
https://medium.com/kickstarter/how-zano-raised-millions-on-kickstarter-and-left-backers-with-nearly-nothing-85c0abe4a6cb#.r9ow3f9mz
"They reported
that drones would repeatedly “bunny hop”’ a few centimetres in the air
before landing again, or veer off wildly to crash into walls. Video
quality was dreadful, and there was no sign of even basic obstacle
avoidance or gesture control, let alone fully autonomous flight. In
mid-October 2015, already months late, Torquing again pushed back
delivery for the bulk of the Kickstarter rewards to as far off as
February 2016.
On 18 November, the axe fell. Torquing announced via a Kickstarter update that it was entering a creditor’s voluntary liquidation,
the UK equivalent roughly of an American “Chapter 7” bankruptcy filing.
It appointed a liquidator who would bring its business operations to a
close and attempt to sell the company’s remaining assets to pay its
outstanding bills. Legal documents show that Torquing had not only
burned through the £2.5m from its Kickstarter campaign, it had run up
another £1m in debt. It was Kickstarter’s most spectacular flame-out to
date."
Things that are too good to be true probably are too good to be true.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
quadcopters are going to change photography forever
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3623890/Daredevil-schoolboy-s-stunning-drone-video-dizzying-Norwegian-mountain-internet-hit.html
I mean, you just can't get some of this any other way.
I mean, you just can't get some of this any other way.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Menlo Park leads the way on drones
http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_29969098/menlo-park-hot-spot-commercial-drones
"Skyfront has developed Tailwind, a hybrid gas-electric drone that also is used in work site surveys and can fly for more than four hours, roughly 10 times more than typical.
'We're building in redundancy in the communication link and the aircraft itself ... to make sure (crashes) never happen,' Mestler said. 'That's a problem we solved.'
Mestler and Dobbs agreed that Menlo Park is a drone-development hot spot because of the infusion of venture capital and engineering talent coming out of Stanford and UC-Berkeley.
My quadcopter has no automation whatsover. I've spent months learning to fly it. Now anybody can buy a new quadcopter and fly better than I do now with mine. This is both good and bad, of course, because "anybody" includes idiots. But meanwhile usefulness is also growing in the field. that's probably the tradeoff right there.
"Skyfront has developed Tailwind, a hybrid gas-electric drone that also is used in work site surveys and can fly for more than four hours, roughly 10 times more than typical.
'We're building in redundancy in the communication link and the aircraft itself ... to make sure (crashes) never happen,' Mestler said. 'That's a problem we solved.'
Mestler and Dobbs agreed that Menlo Park is a drone-development hot spot because of the infusion of venture capital and engineering talent coming out of Stanford and UC-Berkeley.
'I think the
concentration of venture capital is why a lot of commercial drone
operations have gotten their start here ... and Silicon Valley often
provides leadership and technology,' Dobbs said.
Mestler said
drone companies tend to flock together to share research and build
partnerships, though he wouldn't share specifics."My quadcopter has no automation whatsover. I've spent months learning to fly it. Now anybody can buy a new quadcopter and fly better than I do now with mine. This is both good and bad, of course, because "anybody" includes idiots. But meanwhile usefulness is also growing in the field. that's probably the tradeoff right there.
Even forest tribes are using drones
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-panama-deforestation-idUSKCN0YO0BThttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-panama-deforestation-idUSKCN0YO0BT
"Panama's indigenous groups first started using drones to monitor their ancestral lands last year, the FAO said.
The current FAO drone project began in February and is being carried out through the U.N.'s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme (UN-REDD), in partnership with Panama's environment ministry and the non-governmental Rainforest Foundation.
The project focuses on seven ethnic tribes in Panama. Up to three representatives of each tribe, including women, are trained to use drones, download and interpret images, produce detailed maps and collect data.
The project's first drone flight was last month, the FAO said."
Even forest tribes see the economical usefulness of drones. Let's just hope the idiots don't spoil a good thing.
"Panama's indigenous groups first started using drones to monitor their ancestral lands last year, the FAO said.
The current FAO drone project began in February and is being carried out through the U.N.'s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme (UN-REDD), in partnership with Panama's environment ministry and the non-governmental Rainforest Foundation.
The project focuses on seven ethnic tribes in Panama. Up to three representatives of each tribe, including women, are trained to use drones, download and interpret images, produce detailed maps and collect data.
The project's first drone flight was last month, the FAO said."
Even forest tribes see the economical usefulness of drones. Let's just hope the idiots don't spoil a good thing.
Do R/C modelers hate drones?
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/06/03/479457515/in-aircraft-modelers-friendly-skies-drones-bring-turbulence?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news
"For eight decades, aviation enthusiasts have been flying at local Academy of Model Aeronautics clubs like DC/RC — with their mentorships, insurance and safety rules that predate even the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration. All of a sudden, fly-by-night drone rookies started taking to the skies whenever and wherever they wished, often aimlessly, and landed, constantly, in the headlines.
'Honestly, I could see it right away,' Pfarr says, 'the idiots are going to kill us.'"
I love this article. It shows that remote control flying has been around forever, but that the newest quadcopters aren't really flying since they're so automated. Great points throughout here.
"For eight decades, aviation enthusiasts have been flying at local Academy of Model Aeronautics clubs like DC/RC — with their mentorships, insurance and safety rules that predate even the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration. All of a sudden, fly-by-night drone rookies started taking to the skies whenever and wherever they wished, often aimlessly, and landed, constantly, in the headlines.
'Honestly, I could see it right away,' Pfarr says, 'the idiots are going to kill us.'"
I love this article. It shows that remote control flying has been around forever, but that the newest quadcopters aren't really flying since they're so automated. Great points throughout here.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Drone photo contest!
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/introducing-the-3rd-dronestagram-national-geographic
"To enter the contest, you need to publish your aerial photos at www.dronestagr.am.
Be a part of this amazing experience when Dronestagram presents the highlights of international drone photography in the following three categories:
The election of the best aerial photos will be conducted by Dronestagram and National Geographic. The competition will be judged on creativity, photographic quality and respect of each category."
"To enter the contest, you need to publish your aerial photos at www.dronestagr.am.
Be a part of this amazing experience when Dronestagram presents the highlights of international drone photography in the following three categories:
The election of the best aerial photos will be conducted by Dronestagram and National Geographic. The competition will be judged on creativity, photographic quality and respect of each category."
Monday, May 30, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
drone defense beefs up
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/05/23/drone-killer-shotgun-like-stunner-fires-frequency-hacks-at-airborne-pests/
"The gadget, powered by a battery in a backpack, has two triggers that allow operators to choose how they want to take down a drone: by remote control disruption of command-and-control signals sent by the operator of a drone trespassing in restricted airspace, or by disrupting its automatic guidance system."
It's good to see people working on this, trying to come up with ways that simply disable the drone. I hope they are considering swarms as well.
"The gadget, powered by a battery in a backpack, has two triggers that allow operators to choose how they want to take down a drone: by remote control disruption of command-and-control signals sent by the operator of a drone trespassing in restricted airspace, or by disrupting its automatic guidance system."
It's good to see people working on this, trying to come up with ways that simply disable the drone. I hope they are considering swarms as well.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
mini-drones that can attach themselves to take a breather
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flying-mini-robots-can-cling-to-your-window-video1/
"...researchers from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and several other institutions have created a minuscule wing-flapping robot that literally turns the problem on its head—with a disklike top that can cling to most surfaces using static electricity, much like rubbing a balloon and sticking it onto a wall."
"The ability to hang from a structure rather than rest on top also provides the MAV with a less-obstructed view of the area below and protection from extreme weather conditions during long perching sessions. The headfirst electrostatic approach works by changing the charge distribution of the material to which it is clinging, Graule says. This works best with a smooth texture, so the drone can adhere better to something like a window than to a rough or porous surface. The MAV’s electroadhesive connection is not particularly strong, however, which means the drones need to weigh in at roughly 84 milligrams—less than a bee. In order to relaunch the drone cuts power to the circular copper electrodes in its disk and restarts its wings."
That would be great to find a high point, attach yourself, and look around. Then head over somewhere else if necessary for a better view. Brilliant!
"...researchers from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and several other institutions have created a minuscule wing-flapping robot that literally turns the problem on its head—with a disklike top that can cling to most surfaces using static electricity, much like rubbing a balloon and sticking it onto a wall."
"The ability to hang from a structure rather than rest on top also provides the MAV with a less-obstructed view of the area below and protection from extreme weather conditions during long perching sessions. The headfirst electrostatic approach works by changing the charge distribution of the material to which it is clinging, Graule says. This works best with a smooth texture, so the drone can adhere better to something like a window than to a rough or porous surface. The MAV’s electroadhesive connection is not particularly strong, however, which means the drones need to weigh in at roughly 84 milligrams—less than a bee. In order to relaunch the drone cuts power to the circular copper electrodes in its disk and restarts its wings."
That would be great to find a high point, attach yourself, and look around. Then head over somewhere else if necessary for a better view. Brilliant!
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/05/dronebuster-will-let-you-point-and-shoot-command-hacks-at-pesky-drones/
"The drone 'killer' getting the most attention at Sea Air Space was the DroneDefender, a system developed by researchers at the nonprofit research and development organization Battelle. DroneDefender is a two-pronged drone jammer—it can disrupt command-and-control signals from a remote operator or disrupt automatic GPS or GLONASS guidance, depending on which of the devices' two triggers is pulled.
Powered by a small backpack, DroneDefender looks like some futuristic over-under, radio-frequency shotgun-grenade launcher. Targeted through a simple optical sight, the device has a range of about 400 meters. Battelle calls it a 'directed RF energy weapon'—it sends out a jamming signal in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands or global positioning bands in a 30-degree cone around the point of aim.
Aboard the Department of Defense's Stiletto 'marine demonstrator' boat, Jake Sullivan was showing off his company's own counter-drone "gun," the Dronebuster. Sullivan, chief technology officer of California-based Flex Force, said that his company began development of Dronebuster shortly after drones interfered with firefighters in California last year. The intent was to develop something for first-responders and local law enforcement."
A version of the Dronebuster is already in the hands of some federal government customers. That device uses broadband jamming like the DroneDefender. It has the advantage of being much smaller than the DroneDefender, and it can be aimed using optical sights or an integrated radio frequency power meter and signal analyzer. Someone trained on the device can even distinguish what kind of signal is being emitted from the drone—telemetry (such as remote video streaming) or control. Still, its jamming technology makes it illegal to use in the US. But a new version being developed by Flex Force operates completely within FCC regulations, though depending on what kind of drone is targeted, the new device may require an FCC license. Instead of jamming C&C signals, the new Dronebuster exploits weaknesses in the drone communications protocols themselves, enabling the Dronebuster's operator to trigger the 'fly home' command on some drones and the 'land' command on others. It does so by cycling through command sets for various drone systems."
These are good things to have. I wonder if there would ever be a need for the public to own such things?
"The drone 'killer' getting the most attention at Sea Air Space was the DroneDefender, a system developed by researchers at the nonprofit research and development organization Battelle. DroneDefender is a two-pronged drone jammer—it can disrupt command-and-control signals from a remote operator or disrupt automatic GPS or GLONASS guidance, depending on which of the devices' two triggers is pulled.
Powered by a small backpack, DroneDefender looks like some futuristic over-under, radio-frequency shotgun-grenade launcher. Targeted through a simple optical sight, the device has a range of about 400 meters. Battelle calls it a 'directed RF energy weapon'—it sends out a jamming signal in the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands or global positioning bands in a 30-degree cone around the point of aim.
Aboard the Department of Defense's Stiletto 'marine demonstrator' boat, Jake Sullivan was showing off his company's own counter-drone "gun," the Dronebuster. Sullivan, chief technology officer of California-based Flex Force, said that his company began development of Dronebuster shortly after drones interfered with firefighters in California last year. The intent was to develop something for first-responders and local law enforcement."
A version of the Dronebuster is already in the hands of some federal government customers. That device uses broadband jamming like the DroneDefender. It has the advantage of being much smaller than the DroneDefender, and it can be aimed using optical sights or an integrated radio frequency power meter and signal analyzer. Someone trained on the device can even distinguish what kind of signal is being emitted from the drone—telemetry (such as remote video streaming) or control. Still, its jamming technology makes it illegal to use in the US. But a new version being developed by Flex Force operates completely within FCC regulations, though depending on what kind of drone is targeted, the new device may require an FCC license. Instead of jamming C&C signals, the new Dronebuster exploits weaknesses in the drone communications protocols themselves, enabling the Dronebuster's operator to trigger the 'fly home' command on some drones and the 'land' command on others. It does so by cycling through command sets for various drone systems."
These are good things to have. I wonder if there would ever be a need for the public to own such things?
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Medieval knight takes out quadcopter
http://www.neatorama.com/2016/05/12/Medieval-Reenactor-Takes-out-Drone-with-a-Spear/
"This drone flew over a medieval historical reenactment in Russia. A warrior on the ground who is clearly a master of his weapon knocked it out of the sky with a well-placed spear. He wasn't the least bit afraid of this witchcraft in his midst."
I suppose he was mad because quadcopters aren't a part of Medeival lore.
"This drone flew over a medieval historical reenactment in Russia. A warrior on the ground who is clearly a master of his weapon knocked it out of the sky with a well-placed spear. He wasn't the least bit afraid of this witchcraft in his midst."
I suppose he was mad because quadcopters aren't a part of Medeival lore.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Drones in agriculture
http://www.learnuasag.org/
"Unmanned aircraft systems represent a relatively new technology that offer a wide range of opportunities for agriculture. In fact, most projections indicate that the largest single market for UAS will be in support of agriculture. Unmanned aircraft systems have the potential to make significant contributions to sustainable agriculture and secure food production.
Initially this will be accomplished through near real-time data collection for enhanced awareness of complex agricultural systems and associated decision-making, leading eventually to active intervention by UAS as needs arise within the agricultural system. At the same, time there is a great deal of uncertainty about this emerging technology, especially as it relates to agriculture."
I heard a guy on the radio in North Dakota talking about his uses of drones and the research they were doing. This does look like a very good use of the technology.
"Unmanned aircraft systems represent a relatively new technology that offer a wide range of opportunities for agriculture. In fact, most projections indicate that the largest single market for UAS will be in support of agriculture. Unmanned aircraft systems have the potential to make significant contributions to sustainable agriculture and secure food production.
Initially this will be accomplished through near real-time data collection for enhanced awareness of complex agricultural systems and associated decision-making, leading eventually to active intervention by UAS as needs arise within the agricultural system. At the same, time there is a great deal of uncertainty about this emerging technology, especially as it relates to agriculture."
I heard a guy on the radio in North Dakota talking about his uses of drones and the research they were doing. This does look like a very good use of the technology.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Skydio want to help quadcopters take over the world
https://www.skydio.com/
"Drones will be the first widely deployed mobile robots and the first cutting edge aerospace products available to consumers. We are a team of experts in computer vision, robotics, and consumer electronics from places like MIT, Stanford, Google, Apple, and Tesla working to make autonomous flight a trusted, useful, and magical part of life."
I wish them the best.
"Drones will be the first widely deployed mobile robots and the first cutting edge aerospace products available to consumers. We are a team of experts in computer vision, robotics, and consumer electronics from places like MIT, Stanford, Google, Apple, and Tesla working to make autonomous flight a trusted, useful, and magical part of life."
I wish them the best.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
plane hits a drone?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/drone-believed-to-hit-plane-on-approach-to-londons-heathrow-airport/?linkId=23536046
" Police say a British Airways flight from Geneva hit an object believed to be a drone while on approach to London's Heathrow Airport.
The airline says the plane landed safely Sunday afternoon and has been cleared for its next flight."
Unfortunately, we'll always have idiots amongst us. Thus the need for severe penalties for things like this.
" Police say a British Airways flight from Geneva hit an object believed to be a drone while on approach to London's Heathrow Airport.
The airline says the plane landed safely Sunday afternoon and has been cleared for its next flight."
Unfortunately, we'll always have idiots amongst us. Thus the need for severe penalties for things like this.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
DARPA Gremlins; baby drones that return to mother
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/16/darpa-prepares-to-unleash-storm-of-gremlins-us-fo.aspx
"As previously revealed by DARPA, Gremlins aims to develop fleets of 'low-cost, reusable unmanned air systems' (aka drones) that can be launched from other aircraft, perform their missions, and then return to land back aboard their motherships -- an acrobatic feat to be performed entirely midair. While Gremlins will be too small to engage in combat operations, the drones will be equipped with sensors and electronic equipment capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and also electronic warfare -- jamming, spoofing, and otherwise frustrating opposing radar systems."
Looks interesting and useful. I think swarms of smaller, cheaper craft will be used more and more as people figure out how best to utilize them.
"As previously revealed by DARPA, Gremlins aims to develop fleets of 'low-cost, reusable unmanned air systems' (aka drones) that can be launched from other aircraft, perform their missions, and then return to land back aboard their motherships -- an acrobatic feat to be performed entirely midair. While Gremlins will be too small to engage in combat operations, the drones will be equipped with sensors and electronic equipment capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and also electronic warfare -- jamming, spoofing, and otherwise frustrating opposing radar systems."
Looks interesting and useful. I think swarms of smaller, cheaper craft will be used more and more as people figure out how best to utilize them.
What it's like to have a speeding quadcopter hit you
I call them the whirling blades of doom. Stay away from idiots flying quadcopters near crowds.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
International Drone races gearing up
http://idra.co/
"The first IDRA event to be showcased by ESPN, 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships, will crown the coveted title of fastest drone pilot in the United States. The race will be held on Governors Island, New York City, August 5th-7th, offering jaw-dropping views of both lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The U.S. National Drone Racing Championships will have an enjoyable summer festival atmosphere that racing fans appreciate—family entertainment, a ‘makers’ style drone racing area for kids, state-of-the-art technology, food, drink, and drone vendors."
"The first IDRA event to be showcased by ESPN, 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships, will crown the coveted title of fastest drone pilot in the United States. The race will be held on Governors Island, New York City, August 5th-7th, offering jaw-dropping views of both lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The U.S. National Drone Racing Championships will have an enjoyable summer festival atmosphere that racing fans appreciate—family entertainment, a ‘makers’ style drone racing area for kids, state-of-the-art technology, food, drink, and drone vendors."
Friday, April 8, 2016
quadcopter lands and takes off from water
http://60abc.com/us-navys-solar-drone-flies-from-and-lands-on-water/
"The new system will only need a few hours exposure to the sun and be ready to hunt enemy subs for the US navy.
Designed to 'launch and forget', the new drone will be left on water for 23 hours and fly for an hour each day according to Dr. Jones."
Inventiveness is making quadcopters useful everywhere!
"The new system will only need a few hours exposure to the sun and be ready to hunt enemy subs for the US navy.
Designed to 'launch and forget', the new drone will be left on water for 23 hours and fly for an hour each day according to Dr. Jones."
Inventiveness is making quadcopters useful everywhere!
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Phatom IV review
http://investorplace.com/2016/04/dji-phantom-4-review/
"
Even though the newest drone from DJI is recognizable as being part of the Phantom series (with the exception of the red stripes, which are now missing), it has been completely redesigned to be better and easier to use than any of the company’s previous models. This is not an incremental upgrade — it’s a major leap forward in the consumer drone experience.
Robust new autonomous features make the DJI Phantom 4 an excellent choice for drone beginners. Optical sensors are employed for obstacle avoidance, which significantly reduces the chances of a crash or collision. ActiveTrack lets you set the Phantom 4 to automatically follow you, autonomously and with obstacle avoidance engaged.
Advanced drone pilots will appreciate the wicked Sport Mode that lets the DJI Phantom 4 hit air speeds of 44 miles per hour."
This might be the drone I'm looking for! But I'm still waiting for the Gopro to come out.
"
Even though the newest drone from DJI is recognizable as being part of the Phantom series (with the exception of the red stripes, which are now missing), it has been completely redesigned to be better and easier to use than any of the company’s previous models. This is not an incremental upgrade — it’s a major leap forward in the consumer drone experience.
Robust new autonomous features make the DJI Phantom 4 an excellent choice for drone beginners. Optical sensors are employed for obstacle avoidance, which significantly reduces the chances of a crash or collision. ActiveTrack lets you set the Phantom 4 to automatically follow you, autonomously and with obstacle avoidance engaged.
Advanced drone pilots will appreciate the wicked Sport Mode that lets the DJI Phantom 4 hit air speeds of 44 miles per hour."
This might be the drone I'm looking for! But I'm still waiting for the Gopro to come out.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
School of Mines students prepare for drone competition
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/despite-its-military-image-the-drone-is-becoming-a-hobby/article_48962197-cba9-5fec-b1d6-4c03352a3c2e.html
"About 20 Mines students are building from scratch a drone that can fly autonomously, detect certain objects on the ground and transmit images in real time.
"About 20 Mines students are building from scratch a drone that can fly autonomously, detect certain objects on the ground and transmit images in real time.
The
creators, all undergraduate members of the school’s Unmanned Aerial
Systems club, are putting together the machine to compete in an
international student competition in June in Maryland.
The
students, including engineering, physics and computer science majors,
have been working on the six-rotor, 5-pound drone on their own time for a
year. Some of the students have gotten so attached to their creation,
club President Marcus Weibe said, that they’ve decided to call it
Herbert.
Besides performing in
competitions, Herbert can someday also help with search-and-rescue
operations, as well as monitoring forest fires, said Dan Dolan, a Mines
professor of mechanical engineering who started the club in 2004."
I was on campus one day and watched their drone follow a red balloon around.
I was on campus one day and watched their drone follow a red balloon around.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
South Dakota dude takes great drone videos
http://www.tobybrusseau.com/aerial-video-1/
"Toby Brusseau has been flying drones for several years and his footage his been used in both national and international outlets. By using this technology, Brusseau is able to safely achieve beautiful shots for amazing content and various promotional avenues. Most recently, he has accumulated a library of rare imagery, which is available for license, as demonstrated below."
"Toby Brusseau has been flying drones for several years and his footage his been used in both national and international outlets. By using this technology, Brusseau is able to safely achieve beautiful shots for amazing content and various promotional avenues. Most recently, he has accumulated a library of rare imagery, which is available for license, as demonstrated below."
Monday, March 28, 2016
Article on staying safe while flying your drone
http://www.realtor.com/news/trends/drone-etiquette-with-neighbors/?cid=soc_20160328_59837036&adbid=10154139618912871&adbpl=fb&adbpr=35368227870
There have been at least three recent cases of neighbor-on-neighbor drone violence:
So, don’t be too surprised if a neighbor reacts by destroying your expensive toy for getting too close for his comfort. Inform your neighbors that you’re a drone owner and you’re just partaking in a harmless hobby, and to please inform you if they become annoyed with your UAV. You never know—your unassuming neighbor might be this guy:
There have been at least three recent cases of neighbor-on-neighbor drone violence:
- A man in Louisville, KY, blasted his neighbor’s drone worth over $1,800 because he said the drone flew over his backyard while his teenage daughters were sunbathing.
- A man in Lower Township, NJ, shot down a drone that was flying near his property and photographing a house construction taking place next door.
- A man in Modesto, CA, riddled a drone with shotgun pellets because he thought his neighbor’s drone was part of a CIA surveillance conspiracy.
So, don’t be too surprised if a neighbor reacts by destroying your expensive toy for getting too close for his comfort. Inform your neighbors that you’re a drone owner and you’re just partaking in a harmless hobby, and to please inform you if they become annoyed with your UAV. You never know—your unassuming neighbor might be this guy:
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Nice review of flight rules
http://lifehac.kr/26qcZvS
"If all else fails, you can find a local flight club that can help you with the specifics in your area. You can search the Academy of Model Aeronautics for a local chapter. You may also get lucky and find some active groups on sites like Meetup. Unfortunately, for now finding a place to safely fly is still a bit of a mess until the FAA makes their process for notifying airports easier. In the meantime, if you’re not sure it’s legal to fly (or if you think you might have flown outside a legal fly zone), be courteous and bring your drone down if you’re asked. Especially if that request comes from law enforcement, or from any property owners you may be hovering over."
It's good to remember the rules.
"If all else fails, you can find a local flight club that can help you with the specifics in your area. You can search the Academy of Model Aeronautics for a local chapter. You may also get lucky and find some active groups on sites like Meetup. Unfortunately, for now finding a place to safely fly is still a bit of a mess until the FAA makes their process for notifying airports easier. In the meantime, if you’re not sure it’s legal to fly (or if you think you might have flown outside a legal fly zone), be courteous and bring your drone down if you’re asked. Especially if that request comes from law enforcement, or from any property owners you may be hovering over."
It's good to remember the rules.
Friday, March 25, 2016
The Flying Eyeball
http://www.aerotain.com/
"With its agile but classy and elegant flight characteristics, AEROTAIN's Skye is the Bentley of aerial platforms, offering new horizons in aerial entertainment. Lifted by helium and powered by electrical motors which are merely used for movements, Skye is like an eye in the sky: It can perform any translation while having any orientation. Thanks to this patented technology, astonishing movements such as a rolling football can be flown. No currently available UAV allows such a degree of freedom. Unique safety features enables it to fly over crowded places and closely approach people. The visibility leads to a friendly appearance and can be used to depict a product for advertising purposes and even take its shape. Scaleable payloads enable Skye to carry heavy cameras for live streams and aerial cinematography."
That's pretty cool. and the best part is it's pretty safe.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
airliner reports drone within 200 feet of it's flight path
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/drone-200-feet-airliner-la-airport-37773627
"The pilot of a Lufthansa A380 approaching the airport on a flight from
Frankfurt, Germany, reported that a drone passed about overhead around
1:30 p.m., said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation
Administration.
The plane was flying at 5,000 feet and was about 14 miles east of the
airport, over the heavily populated suburbs of Los Angeles. It landed
safely."
Some idiot is gonna cause a lot of problems.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
police looking for local drone operator who flew over a crime scene
http://www.blackhillsfox.com/home/headlines/Local-police-looking-for-drone-operator--372463952.html
"Rapid City police are seeking help to identify the operator of a drone that was spotted flying over the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Feb. 28.
Police say the operator may have broken the law by flying the drone in the area outside the Cornerstone Rescue Mission where officers responded to the report of a shooting."
Since the perpetrator flew right over a bunch of cops, I assume he didn't know the rules.
"Rapid City police are seeking help to identify the operator of a drone that was spotted flying over the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Feb. 28.
Police say the operator may have broken the law by flying the drone in the area outside the Cornerstone Rescue Mission where officers responded to the report of a shooting."
Since the perpetrator flew right over a bunch of cops, I assume he didn't know the rules.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
FAA is overhyping drone threat to planes say researchers
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/03/researchers-say-faa-is-really-overblowing-risk-posed-by-small-drones/
"Much of the fear around drones hitting aircraft has been driven by FAA reports from pilots who have claimed near-misses with small drones. But an investigation last year by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) found that of the 764 near-miss incidents with drones recorded by the FAA, only 27 of them—3.5 percent—actually were near misses. The rest were just sightings, and those were often sightings that took place when drone operators were following the rules. The FAA also overcounted, including reports where the pilot said explicitly that there was no near miss and some where the flying object wasn't identified, leading the AMA to accuse the FAA of exaggerating the threat in order to get support for its anti-drone agenda.
There hasn't yet been an incident in which a drone has struck an aircraft. But bird strikes (and bat strikes) do happen, and there's a rich data set to work from to understand how often they do. Researchers Eli Dourado and Samuel Hammond reasoned that the chances of a bird strike remain much higher than that of an aircraft hitting a drone because 'contrary to sensational media headlines, the skies are crowded not by drones but by fowl.'
The
researchers studied 25 years of FAA 'wildlife strike' data, reports
voluntarily filed by pilots after colliding with birds. The data
included over 160,000 reported incidents of collisions with birds, of
which only 14,314 caused damage—and 80 percent of that number came from
collisions with large or medium-sized birds such as geese and ducks."
Makes sense to me. But there should still be good rules because some people are idiots.
"Much of the fear around drones hitting aircraft has been driven by FAA reports from pilots who have claimed near-misses with small drones. But an investigation last year by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) found that of the 764 near-miss incidents with drones recorded by the FAA, only 27 of them—3.5 percent—actually were near misses. The rest were just sightings, and those were often sightings that took place when drone operators were following the rules. The FAA also overcounted, including reports where the pilot said explicitly that there was no near miss and some where the flying object wasn't identified, leading the AMA to accuse the FAA of exaggerating the threat in order to get support for its anti-drone agenda.
There hasn't yet been an incident in which a drone has struck an aircraft. But bird strikes (and bat strikes) do happen, and there's a rich data set to work from to understand how often they do. Researchers Eli Dourado and Samuel Hammond reasoned that the chances of a bird strike remain much higher than that of an aircraft hitting a drone because 'contrary to sensational media headlines, the skies are crowded not by drones but by fowl.'
ADVERTISING
Makes sense to me. But there should still be good rules because some people are idiots.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Snap quadcopter with camera
"We’ve taken all those amazing aerial shots you see in the movies and made it a snap (sorry, we can’t resist the pun, more of these coming) for you to recreate them without being a geek. Just hold your phone up, tap where you want Snap to go and send it on it’s way."
This has good features. I don't see how to upgrade software for more features. Is this part of it?
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Anti-drone gun uses a net
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-03/04/anti-drone-net-launcher-downs-quadcopters
"A shoulder-mounted, parachute-enabled anti-drone launcher has already attracted interest from the Metropolitan Police, its makers have said.
OpenWorks Engineering's
SkyWall100 launcher uses compressed air to fire a net into the rotors
of an offending aircraft. The Northumberland-based startup says the
tangled net will be enough to put a drone out of operation, before
returning it to the ground with a built-in parachute."
Ok, now THIS looks like a realistic defense against drones.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
You can't weaponize your drone in Connecticut soon
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/03/04/this-state-wants-to-ban-gun-toting-flame-shooting-gas-spraying-drones/
"ow a pair of proposed laws being considered in Connecticut would put an end to arming recreational drones.
A proposal on the 'weaponization of drones' would prohibit using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to release tear gas, remotely control a weapon or “explosive or incendiary device.”
Both bills (one submitted in the Connecticut House of Representatives, the other in the state Senate) use the same language in reference to armed drones."
Seems ok to me.
"ow a pair of proposed laws being considered in Connecticut would put an end to arming recreational drones.
A proposal on the 'weaponization of drones' would prohibit using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to release tear gas, remotely control a weapon or “explosive or incendiary device.”
Both bills (one submitted in the Connecticut House of Representatives, the other in the state Senate) use the same language in reference to armed drones."
Seems ok to me.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Snoopy Doghouse
http://odditymall.com/snoopy-doghouse-drone
"Of course taken from the cartoon Peanuts where snoopy the dog would pretend to sit on the top of his doghouse and fly it like a plane, the doghouse quadcopter is located on the side of the house so that it takes off completely sideways, but once you get the thing moving it starts to level out. Perfect for any drone collector..."
I'm surprised this works because Snoopy offsets the weight so much. But pretty cool!
"Of course taken from the cartoon Peanuts where snoopy the dog would pretend to sit on the top of his doghouse and fly it like a plane, the doghouse quadcopter is located on the side of the house so that it takes off completely sideways, but once you get the thing moving it starts to level out. Perfect for any drone collector..."
I'm surprised this works because Snoopy offsets the weight so much. But pretty cool!
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Is the new FAA registry illegal? We'll find out
http://www.newsweek.com/federal-aviation-authority-drone-registry-431609
"Not everyone is pleased about the requirement. Some drone owners say it’s illegal, and they’re challenging the FAA in court. Leading the fight: John Taylor, an insurance attorney and drone hobbyist in Silver Spring, Maryland. When the registry launched in December, Taylor says he waited for an appropriate lawyer to file a suit. When that didn’t happen, he did it himself. 'I truly believe,' he says, 'the FAA has no real defense.'
Taylor bases his argument on a half-page clause in the FAA’s Modernization and Reform Act, which explicitly prohibits the agency from making new rules and regulations regarding model aircraft. In launching the registry, Taylor claims, the FAA has technically created a regulation as well."
This will be worth watching. If the FAA loses, it gets punted to Congress.
"Not everyone is pleased about the requirement. Some drone owners say it’s illegal, and they’re challenging the FAA in court. Leading the fight: John Taylor, an insurance attorney and drone hobbyist in Silver Spring, Maryland. When the registry launched in December, Taylor says he waited for an appropriate lawyer to file a suit. When that didn’t happen, he did it himself. 'I truly believe,' he says, 'the FAA has no real defense.'
Taylor bases his argument on a half-page clause in the FAA’s Modernization and Reform Act, which explicitly prohibits the agency from making new rules and regulations regarding model aircraft. In launching the registry, Taylor claims, the FAA has technically created a regulation as well."
This will be worth watching. If the FAA loses, it gets punted to Congress.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Aerial photography business in Arizona
http://www.extremeaerialproductions.com/
"Working for directors, Producers, Cinematographers composing that perfect shot is demanding, challenging and highly rewarding. It is what we live for! - Understanding your footprint on set, composing
the right shot, ensuring your footage is perfectly exposed, balanced and
graded in flight so time in post is reduced is what we understand and
strive for - not everything is done on the first take - but we listen,
we challenge ourselves and now with our new live streaming technology we
give the directors a whole new lease on getting that 'perfect shot'
live and in flight."
I hope to eventually get this good before I die.
It is what we live for! - Understanding your footprint
on set, composing the right shot, ensuring your footage is perfectly
exposed, balanced and graded in flight so time in post is reduced is
what we understand and strive for - not everything is done on the first
take - but we listen, we challenge ourselves and now with our new live
streaming technology we give the directors a whole new lease on getting
that "perfect shot" live and in flight.
"
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