As some of you may have noticed at the recent SUSB Expo in San Francisco, we’ve been busy working on a brand-new, consumer-friendly quadcopter. The day has finally come to officially take off the wraps and show it to you all. Here it is: Iris.
3DR Iris provides the autonomous functionality you’ve come to know and love in APM:Copter with a next generation PX4-based 32-bit autopilot (UPDATE: this has now been announced, and is called Pixhawk) and an all-in-one housing.
Building on the existing 3DR family of multi-rotor vehicles, Iris is compact, ready-to-fly, and fully autonomous. Navigate from takeoff to landing with point-and-click mission planning and configurable GPS waypoints, all from your mobile device or computer. Iris supports the full set of features offered by APM:Copter, including loiter, altitude hold, return to launch, circle, follow me, acrobatic flying mode, and more. With a stylish, durable, and sleek body, Iris is designed with a wide angle between the front arms to provide a clear view for an on-board camera--add a GoPro Hero 3(R) to capture your favorite moments from a unique perspective.
Features:
Multiple control options provide redundancy and flexibility: RC, computer, phone, tablet
Built-in data radio for real-time mission monitoring, data-logging, and control
Powerful cross-platform ground station/mission planning and analysis software that runs on Windows, OS X and Linux, providing simple point-and-click programming and configuration
Mobile apps allow intuitive “draw a path” mission planning
Picatinny rail mounting system integrated in the arms provides painless mounting for future accessories (stay tuned!)
Camera options include a live video link with programmable on-screen-display, and will soon support a fully integrated stabilized camera gimbal with autopilot control
GoPro(R) compatible camera mount
Available with a 9-channel RC transmitter pre-programmed for the most popular flight modes.
GPS waypoints allow for professional-grade mission capabilities, such as: mapping, scripted cinematography, scientific research, and other applications where repeatable flight plans are required
Robust arms and feet produced from Zytel Nylon(R) for the ultimate in wear, abrasion and impact resistance over a wide temperature range. They are easily and inexpensively replaced if required.
Auto takeoff and landing along with Return-To-Launchpoint command at the press of a button or under programmable failsafe conditions
Follow Me function for the ultimate "selfies". In this mode, Iris will follow (at an adjustable distance) any ground station device equipped with a GPS antenna and one of our 3DR telemetry/control radios
Geo Fencing provides a virtual box to keep your drone within a user-selectable space
Failsafe programming options bring peace of mind in the event of lost control signal/GPS or low battery conditions
External micro-USB port
- RGB LED for status and orientation
Buzzer for audible status and warning messages
Safety switch adds a second level of protection against inadvertent start-ups
Open source flight code, ground station software and electronics are all freely distributed under standard open source licenses. This means that Iris' capabilities are always improving and expanding with a simple firmware update!
Specifications:
Motor to motor dimension: 550 mm
Height: 100 mm
Weight (with battery): 1282 grams
Average flight time: 9-14 minutes
Standard battery: 11.1v 3.5Ah lithium polymer with XT-60 type connector, weight 262 grams
Propellers: (2) 10 x 4.7 normal-rotation, (2) 10 x 4.7 reverse-rotation
Motors: AC 2830, 850kv
Telemetry/Control radios available in 915mHz or 433mHz
PX4-based 32-bit autopilot with Cortex M4 processor
3DR uBlox GPS with integrated magnetometer
Iris is currently available in a developer release for experienced operators to participate in the ongoing development of this exciting new product. Iris developer pre-orders are available now from store.3drobotics.com and will ship September 16th. Operators not interested in development are encouraged to wait for the consumer release of Iris coming soon!
Official press release can be found here.
Comments
"Follow Me function for the ultimate "selfies".
chris:
could you say us if this new board is smaller than apm?
i found apm so big when i compare with my others controllers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbfWeozgxtA&feature=youtube_gda...
You're right Chris, it can be done. I've never tried simple mode. As for the software solution, though it could be setup to do so, controlling copter yaw(only) using head movements would be tricky. But as you said, it can be done in simple mode, thus eliminating the need for said headtracker.
This gives me an idea. I think when the rain breaks this afternoon, I'll tuck my phone under my hat and try Lead-it mode.
@Avard. Happy Birthday!
Doug,
Z axis stabilization is going to be a whole other chapter. Your going to need at least four axes of rotation or a linear rail.
dr0n3droid: actually in "simple" mode you copter can yaw without changing heading, so it would work fine with a headtracker even without the 3rd axis gimbal. As others have mentioned, yaw is arbitrary with smart multicopters, so it's simply a software solution.
Today is my 32nd birthday, I sure know what I want as a gift... This IRIS thing looks brilliant! I already have a small quadcopter toy and a bigger tricopter I scratch built myself. However I'm looking for something that offers more. This looks absolutely amazing!
My gopro is currently ziptied to the bottom of my f450. We don't 'need' gimbals.
@Doug Walmsley,
It is my understanding that 3-axis gimbals have more of a use on fixed wing aircraft as multicopters can just as easily yaw left and right to get that third axis. Then again, I have seen 3 axis gimbals on multicopters but they tend to be the much larger ones designed for pure aerial cinematography and carry large DSLR's. I'm not sure if a 3rd yaw axis is needed on small FPV and "fun" quads such as the IRIS. Take a look at the footage you can get from a TBS Discovery Pro and QAV540G, both smaller quads with integrated brushless gimbals on the nose. Their mounting design wouldn't even allow for that third axis, but if you look at the footage, they don't need it.
I have a question Joshua Ott wrote to Stephen on August 20th at 10:11am.
Why only two-axis gimbal stablized mount. I have a two-axis unit I added to my Hexa-C and although I love it's ability to stabilize in X & Y axis, I found the Go Pro bounces too much when dropping vertically due to prop buffeting. Why hasn't the Z axis or three-axis gimbal stablized mounts been developed? I'm interested in upgrading mine to three-axis but seems not much development is moving along.
Who came up with the name IRIS? A.L.F (Autonomous Lunchbox Flying) would have been my choice :) .
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