Moderator

Beer drones are back, this time with Google Glass

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. -- We still don't have hoverboards or flying cars, but in the glorious future we live in today, we do have flying robots that can bring us beer. Unfortunately for those in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration won't yet allow drones for commercial use. That means that while it's OK to fly beers around to your buddies in your spare time, no paid or promotional delivery services are allowed just yet.

            beerdrone.png
            Beer drones ride again!Eric Mack/CNET

But that hasn't stopped brew titan Anheuser-Busch InBev from looking into how drones might be able to help keep the party going in the near future. The company brought some experimental prototypes to Whatever, USA -- a fictional town that Bud Light created in Colorado last weekend for the purposes of throwing a party for 1,000 contest winners and creating all kind of new promotional content -- where I got an in-person demonstration.

I spoke with Federico Treu and Roberto Navoni of an outfit based in California and Italy called XTrace about the Bud Light delivery system that they worked up for "Whatever." Essentially, it's a custom-built quadcopter that's a slave to a beacon that also functions as a very simple remote control. Push one button, and the drone comes to you; a different button and it returns to where it started. Push a third button and the drone will follow you at a safe distance.

The small, lightweight drone can only carry one bottle of beer at a time, but it's still an important proof of concept for lazy beer drinkers everywhere. The drone can easily function as a push-button bartender or a beer-caddy, following you down the street with refreshment just hovering a few feet away, just in case you need a drink (the fourth and last button on the remote tells the drone to land where it is).

"When we started this project, the idea was that, it's really difficult to fly drones," Treu told me outside the Crested Butte "Whatever" Visitors' Center. "But drones nowadays are smart enough to follow you, so even people that have never tried can fly a drone -- just hold the beacon, press the button and go."

For drone nerds, there are also some interesting things going on behind the scenes of what seems like a simple remote-controlled drone setup. For the prototypes in use at "Whatever," Navoni is in charge of safety. He walks around wearing Google Glass running a custom-made Glass app that provides him with a view of what the drone is seeing, as well as all the relevant statuses for the drones current operation.

In other words, while it may seem almost like a simple toy, Navoni is able to monitor everything that's happening with the drone through Glass and take over control of the drone if need be.

Treu says the next challenge for their drones is to automate obstacle avoidance. He says the drone in use at "Whatever" only has a carrying capacity of about 1 pound, but other form factors could easily handle bigger loads.

The drones came to "Whatever, USA" as part of a partnership through the "beer garage," a sort of skunkworks lab run out of San Francisco that looks at use digital tools and other innovations to promote brands like Bud Light.

Check out a delivery in action in the video below. The entire sequence was done by pressing only two buttons on the beacon.

CNET Article : http://www.cnet.com/news/beer-drones-are-back-this-time-with-google-glass/

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  • Moderator

    @MikeRover,

    True , when i came in these last month in u.s.a.  my impression is to have a DejaVu . In Europe we start the process for drone certification in some country 1 years ago , in other 2 years ago. 

    I understand your position in fact these are only early prototype of what could be happen in future advertising market. This kind on drone will be very light under 800 gr and the end revision will be safer propeller guard and sensor for stop motor when the drones it's hit by someone . This kind of drone started certification process in last 2 months in Europe , some features as double cluster autopilot and immediate termination flight is already implemented.

    @Mike if is true what do you tell about FAA is true that 3DR with Iris cannot use drone for promote its product as recent video of Iris+ ? 

    My impression is that could be very important as in europe that the certification process can start early so how would use drone for commercial application can do safer.  

    Best

    Roberto 

  • "Unfortunately for those in the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration won't yet allow drones for commercial use. That means that while it's OK to fly beers around to your buddies in your spare time, no paid or promotional delivery services are allowed just yet."

    but ...

    " The company brought some experimental prototypes to Whatever, USA -- a fictional town that Bud Light created in Colorado last weekend for the purposes of throwing a party for 1,000 contest winners and creating all kind of new promotional content -- where I got an in-person demonstration."

    Sounds an AWFUL lot like using it for promotional purposes ...

  • Hey Roberto,

    Looking forward to receiving shipment of micro and full versions.  They have some important work to do:

    https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_360393/bolt-low-carb-lager...

  • Moderator

    Sure Darrel is a proof of concept ... but we can fly for 14 min with no payload and 9 minutes with 200 gr of payload so is not so bad ... I doing test with bottle totally empty and with beer inside the  different is in less flight time ...  but haven't problem to fly in totally automatic way  .... Now we are working at the next frame that will be flight for 30 - 45 min with payload ...

    best

    Roberto 

  • That bottle sure looked empty to me. I have a very similar micro quad and there's no way it's going to carry a bottle of beer. Not to mention the flight time is sufficient to only fly a few feet across a parking lot. Oh wait, that's just what the video showed. I'm waiting for a video showing one of those chopping up someone's face. Now that will be 'proof of concept'. 

  • Moderator

    Hi Darrell , 

    no the this drone exist and work fine we test the advanced functionality during Whatever USA ;) It's a custom version of Virtualrobotix VRX300 :) Use VR micro Brain , VR GPS 8 ,  and VR Leash technology. 

    Trasmit the telemetry to Google Glass on our special revision of VR Pad Station for Google Glass :)

  • Is it April 1 today?

This reply was deleted.