3D Robotics Inc., one of the better-funded, high-profile drone startups, is laying off an undisclosed number of its staff in a restructuring aimed at moving more quickly into the commercial market, due to heavy competition in the consumer drone market.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/drone-maker-3d-robotics-reboots-by-cutting-jobs-refocusing-on-corporate-market-2016-03-23

To show a simple example of the Vision API, we have built a fun Raspberry Pi based platform with just a few hundreds of lines of Python code, calling the Vision API. Our demo robot can roam and identify objects, including smiling faces. This is just one simple example of what can be done with Cloud Vision API:

http://googlecloudplatform.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/Google-Cloud-Vision-API-changes-the-way-applications-understand-images.html

The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) has spent 16 years developing the Pure File Magic Area Based Editor (PFMABE) software suite to edit the huge volumes of lidar and sonar data they collect every year. In accordance with 17 USC 105, copyright protection is not available to any work of the US government. Originally developed to run on RedHat OS with network distributed storage, it has been migrated to Windows 7. This software, and accompanying source code (Win & Linux), has been released to the public domain at pfmabe.software, free for download with registration.

The Area Based Editor is a software tool that enables visualization and editing of hydrographic, bathymetric, and/or topographic data and simultaneous display of imagery data either as an over/underlay or in a separate viewer.   

Visit here. 

http://shoals.sam.usace.army.mil/PFMABE.aspx

Torent File

magnet:?xt=urn:btih:0f76f9cb970aaa105843230c556cda28b7418369&dn=PFMABE&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Fopen.demonii.com%3A1337&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.coppersurfer.tk%3A6969&tr=udp%3A%2F%2Ftracker.leechers-paradise.org%3A6969

Found this for sale on my local Canada Kijiji Classifieds, call Ebay Classifieds in the US.

WW2 Fairchild K-20 Aerial Camera RARE 

$180.00 

The Fairchild K-20 was an aerial camera made by the Folmer-Graflex Corporation during World War Two. About 15,000 were made from 1941-1945. 

t is one of a series of "K" cameras and just about every bomber carried one for documenting strikes, surveillance, and so on. They were also used in light observation planes and may have been in service up through the Korean War 

Includes Case, Camera, extra Lens, Lens case 

This is best Price you can find 

This Camer from Norfolk Naval Station Sticker inside case!

Kijiji Ad with more pictures.

Link to article

Really nice to see UAV being use in a good way.  But what I am wondering Transport Canada wants

to promote safe use but they gave this blank sfoc to this for a station and the city is in the zone of a airport.

What do you guys think about this ? 

DJI's New Inspire 1 - Reviewed by Octofilms

H style frame

Be able to fold each side of the H frame around the body for an easier transportation mode

Larger than the DJI Phantom 2 and looks almost larger than the Flamewheel 550

Possible 4K camera

3 axis gimbal

Possible built in FPV monitor in the remote control of the quadcopter utilizing DJI’s high definition Lightbridge system

Husband And Wife Team Unveil The World's First 3D-Printed Graphene Battery

Graphene 3D Investor Video from Shufflebox Productions, LLC on Vimeo.

I was wondering how feasible it would be for a drone to deliver long distance by hitching a ride

by a passing train or transport etc... And getting off at the next building.

Maybe one day people will have personal drones to deliver our eBay sales etc, this way?

What is your idea about it ?

I feel like testing a flight by hopping on a passing train then drive to the next city

and have it fly hope off to me again. Going to ask my local train company permission to try or

I could just do like a hobo and call my drone the hobo drone. 

"The FAA has released a set of cease and desist letters sent in 2012 and 2013 to people operating drone vehicles for a variety of purposes including: tornado research, inspecting gas well stacks, aerial photography, journalism education, and other purposes. Drone cease and desist letters sent during 2014 are available from the FAA upon request." The text of the letters (bureaucratically polite, but bureaucratically firm) often starts with notes indicating that the UAV operators to whom they were sent that the FAA became interested in them because it "became aware of" their web sites, or even because someone tipped them off about an article in a community newsletter. The letters go on to outline the conditions under which the FAA allows the operation of unmanned aircraft, and specifically notes: Those who use UAS only for recreational enjoyment, operate in accordance with Advisory arcular 91-57. This generally applies to operations in remotely populated areas away from airports, persons and buildings, below 400 feet Above Ground Level, and within visual line of sight. On February 6, 2007 the FAA published UAS guidance in the Federal Register, 14 CPR Part 91 / Docket No. FAA-2006-25714 I Unmanned Airaaft Operations in the National Airspace System. Toward the end of the docket it says, ''The FAA recognizes that people and companies other than modelers might be flying UAS with the mistaken understanding that they are legally operating under the authority of AC 91-57. AC 91-57 only applies to modelers, and thus specifically excludes Its use by pecions or companies for business purposes."

From Slashdot.

Among Microsoft Research's contributions to SIGGRAPH 2014, a machine learning technique for estimating absolute, per-pixel depth using any conventional monocular 2D camera, with minor hardware modifications. Our approach targets close-range human capture and interaction where dense 3D estimation of hands and faces is desired. We use hybrid classification-regression forests to learn how to map from near infrared intensity images to absolute, metric depth in real-time. We demonstrate a variety of humancomputer interaction and capture scenarios. Experiments show an accuracy that outperforms a conventional light fall-off baseline, and is comparable to high-quality consumer depth cameras, but with a dramatically reduced cost, power consumption, and form-factor.

Just finished a job and thought I would like to share it. I've incorporated an aerial to an inside view, if you're checking the aerial click the red front entrance and you will land to the front door and be able to enter in and tour inside . I am always looking for ways to innovate these aerial views.

Visit Here

Thanks, Paul Richardson.

Trusted Google Photographer

The announcement was made in Montreal where they debuted a zero-emissions electric deomonstration car powered by the aluminum-air battery at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

MONTREAL— Alcoa Ltd. and Israeli firm Phinergy are working together to commercialize an aluminum-air battery they claim can extend the range of an electric vehicle by about 1,600 kilometres.

According to Phinergy, the aluminum-air battery technology can also be applied to stationary applications like generators, and defence applications like mobile housing and unmanned vehicles.

Link

Attitude V2 Bundle, Dominator V2 Bundle, and many other product they are adding.

http://www.horizonhobby.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCmd?searchKeyword=Immersion&searchType=productgrid

British scientists defy the laws of physics to create a flat lens that thinks it’s curved.

Scientists from BAE Systems and Queen Mary University of London have seemingly defied the laws of physics by creating a novel composite material which has been used to manufacture a new type of antenna lens.

More at BEA

The polymer solar cell was envisioned many years ago as a low cost flexible PV technology made using fast printing processes, simple machinery and abundant materials. At the turn of the millennium there was a lot of hope that the vision would become reality and this spawned a massive surge in the scientific literature with ever increasing performance and marvels of processability, yet the polymer solar cell remained elusive and the few examples of available OPV have all been far from representing the vision and promises in terms of cost, abundance and fast processing.

I believe that to be true to the art, the polymer solar cell has to be adherent to the vision and especially it must be made available to anyone interested in it. For this reason my group developed the freeOPV modules that are freely available to anybody with a fundamental, academic or scholar interest. The philosophy and spirit is that it should be free without ties and I encourage students, school children, nerds, gizmos, colleagues, companies etc. to make use of this special offer to study, posses, claim, reverse engineer, copy, and use these OPV modules that have been created to propagate OPV and hopefully enable us to reach the objective of supplying the globe with energy from OPV in the future, OPV that are true to the art and original vision of OPV.

 

 

The freeOPV modules are (according to my view) far from the mark when it comes to power conversion efficiency but pretty close when it comes to stability, manufacturing speed, cost and abundance of elements. The aim is thus to supply you with the most recent development and the freeOPV module is thus meant to serve as an available benchmark to everybody and anybody irrespective of their origin or interest. freeOPV is what today can be prepared in huge numbers and large area with consistent performance. freeOPV is to me also an experiment of who is interested, what do the interested person do with it, where does it end up, and how efficiently can it be distributed. The cost of a freeOPV module is very low, in fact shipping is significantly higher in cost than the module itself including all handling and preparation for dispatch. It is my sincere hope that you will help me propagate the polymer solar cell and do feel free to share any results, we have to work together on this and learn from it, I have done the majority of my part and hope that you will take my offer an also honor it with feedback, good or bad, remember I am a scientist and to me any results are of interest regardless of their nature.

So go to this link and claim your freeOPV solar cell module.

Frederik C. Krebs

I am using PanoramaStudio Viewer Interactive 3D panoramas and zoom.

 Click here to see my interactive 360 Aerial View

Thanks Paul.

The world's first 3D Printer designed to print Carbon Fiber.

Waltham, MA @ www.markforged.com

Designed to overcome the strength limitations of other 3D printed materials, the MarkForged Mark One 3D printer is the world’s first 3D printer designed to print composite materials. Now you can print parts, tooling, and fixtures with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than 6061-T6 Aluminum.

Thanks Paul.

This model includes a plethora of new features including:
• 2-axis brushless gimbal with optional pitch control
• 1080/30 camera with 720/30 video downlink to mobile devices
• 3S 3000 mAh flight battery for extended shoots
• New DX4 Transmitter

The 350 QX AP Combo also takes on a host of upgrades to the existing system including:
• New RF chipset with external antenna
• Improved GPS performance and accuracy
• Visual compass error detection to alert the user for calibration
• Simplified radio solution for ease of use
• Included AC/DC charging solution
• White battery hatch for improved orientation

Thanks Paul.

UPS experimenting with delivery drones, set to challenge Amazon's Prime Air.

Full article here:UPS Drone

Could be fun to see and control fpv screen and apm screen and other input at the same time ?

A Taiwan-based nonprofit R&D organization announced Wednesday a virtual display that allows users to control virtual keyboards and touchscreens that float out in front of users.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said its new technology uses special glasses and DDDR (defined distance with defined range) camera technology to allow users to see and interact with virtual data, images and devices with finger strokes. Full article here: Floating Display

Paul @ Wavetechrc