Looking for feedback from the community. We currently build unmanned vehicle for military and commercial applications in the USA. Our current commercial units are obviously very similar to the consumer drones.
What if any features are community members looking for in a RTF consumer drone?
We currently develop our systems under IRAD funds so this is not a Kickstarter type program.
Examples:
Multi-Rotor: Longer Endurance, Installed Video Links, Foldable, More payload capability, Ethernet based? Most of these examples are givens.
Fixed Wing: Larger payload capability, longer endurance, etc? We're getting ready to release a fixed wing system with up to 3lbs. of belly and nose mount payload capability.
Maybe the answer is the market is already flooded and there isn't a need.
Any feedback would be appreciated
Best
Bill D.
Comments
Long endurance VTOL capable tailsitter.
Look into adding an onboard gas generator to a multi rotor UAS. We are not going to have the type of endurance available that fixed wing aircraft inherently have as an advantage. With a gas generator charging the battery even with the huge weight penalty your flight time will increase significantly. Maybe see if these guys based in baltimore could look into it.
http://www.sullivanuav.com/home.html
2 hours flight time. Ability to fly 5ft in front of you & track your movement. Small enough to fit in a backpack.
Fixed wing: Removable wings, though EPP foam body, Low speed capable
@William,
Your Fixed Wing description sounds very much like the Anaconda sold by RMRC.
I am presently in the process of building one and it can accommodate either belly or nose mounts and can stay in the air over an hour at speeds up to 30mph.
The kit price is $200 USD sans motor, servos, and electronics. The RTF is around $400USD and requires a radio and batteries.
Regards,
TCIII AVD
my advice? Do what apple did to the smartphone. Dont reinvent the wheel; just make it easy to use. Most people using drones today are tecjie types. Make a drone truly idiot proof (yes, it may mean less bells and whistles, but make it so that my mom could use it) and your customer base has just trippled in size...Of cpurse, that is easier said than done, but that is my way of thonking...
Man that's a tough question. Seems like the market flooded with new ideas fairly quickly with all types of things. 3DR approach lends itself to the armature builder but now offers complete units for mapping/survey/photography. DJI is pretty much a photography platform. As for features 3DR customers seem to do their own thing experimenting with what's possible so the features you suggested can be done by DIY guys. If you're a hardware company, I'd suggest manufacturing items that are modular that can easily be incorporated into any platform. Anything to do with wireless communication via radio or GSM that could talk to servers and is easy to setup. I know there is stuff out there but look at the "gaps" in the market. Good luck and look forward to see what you have to offer.
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