It looks like they've still got a lot of work to do to make this Pocketcopter a reality, but it's a cool idea (I've backed it):
How does the Pocketcopter work?
The Pocketcopter itself is powered by a 12V battery (rechargeable or replaceable) and is controlled via the touch screen of your smartphone.
The connection is via WiFi (similar to the remote control of the GoPro) or Bluetooth.
Due to the fact that, although the rotor arms are fixed one above the other, each spins in the opposite direction to the other thus achieving stability
and ensuring quiet recordings.
Should the Pocketcopter lose the connection to the smartphone it automatically floats slowly to the ground.
The software interfaces will allow the pictures or videos taken to be instantly shared directly on social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Specifications
- Height about 19 cm
- Diameter about 4.5 cm
- 12V rechargeable
- 3D HD camera
- Range about 10 meters
- Rotor blades removable
- Previous tests showed that the running time of a fully charged battery is about 6 hours (camera) and 25 min flight time.
- Storage Medium: Micro SD card
Blue, Yellow and Black
Comments
Weight transfer is not a good solution because of inertial forces and nature of "light weight" device design but it is possible.
The simplest mechanical design is changing the speed of a free rotating non symmetrical propeller's speed by a magnet. Just add a free rotating pitched single prop(or non-symmetrical) under the air flow, detect it's position by a magnet+magnetic sensor pair and use a electromagnet to slow down it in any position when free rotating. It changed the air flow directing a bit in each break position.
It's a great engineering solution that used on Starstreak missile darts.
The dart only 22mm diameter, no space for servos and control surfaces and bearings. Also it's traveling at 3.5 mach speed. This is why it is using non-symmetrical front propeller(looking like small wings because of very very high pitch)
well weight transfer is a poor mans pitch control it should work.
This is your brain on drugs.
Maybe you would have backing for your asteroid mining idea, at least.
The weight transfer idea is the only way I see this working. Those newfangled flat props must be leading edge technology, too. Look, ma, no pitch!
So, here's a question: Would the weight transfer idea actually work? Could you put a gimbal below the props and get this thing to maneuver by wagging its tail? I'm thinking the dynamic stuff like reactions to the initial movement of the gimbal might be a bear to cancel out. The rotational inertia of the blades might try to keep them in the same plane for a while as the tail wiggles, rather than having a stable tail and moving props. It would be cool to make something like this work, particularly with folding props. How about putting the props up significantly higher, and having them fold and slide down into the body for storage? That would require a larger body and a stem, of sorts, between the props and gimbal, up top, and the tail/body. That would give the body a lot more inertia and make it a much more slowly moving pendulum.
My other question is, what does it mean to do 3D video with something an inch wide? Are there two lenses within a 1/4" of each other? Not exactly my inter-ocular distance, but OK.
I'd be mining asteroids by now if somebody had paid me for every incomplete idea I ever had.
The only way I see any kind of side to side movement would be to incorporate some kind of 3 dimensional weight transfer system. Let say you mount a weight to the bottom of the unit pointing directly down, the craft would hover as normal since the center of gravity is balanced on all sides. Once you moved that weight off center, let's say to the right, the center of gravity would change, pitching the craft slightly to one side, hence creating drift to the left. There will obviously need to be some kind of "throttle mixing" done to maintain altitude when "drifting".
Should go up and down just fine, but purposely move in any direction other than where the wind is taking it, not so much.
I guess you could put it on a tether, just like a balloon - or, you could just use a balloon - hmm obviously a great idea maybe I can get Indiegogo to help me fund a balloon (we can call it balloon-cam).
A little coaxial camera copter is a great idea, but you really do need to include some means of horizontal directional control and motion - Yeesh!
I guess that's just one of the things they thought they'd figure out once they had a nice big pile of money.
April fools day in September.
Well, I sent a support ticket to indiegogo to tell them to have a look at the feasibility and suspend pledges until the campaigners come forward with project plans and explanations how they figured out it would cost $89 if they don't even have a design or prototype.
The terms of use make it very clear that this responsibility is 100% with the visitor.
http://betabeat.com/2014/08/indiegogos-scampaign-problem-latest-cro...
Read the "Contributors" section here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/about/terms
Sounds like these backers are stuffed.
Kickstarter seems to be the only platform where they do make an attempt to protect the backers instead of weaselling out on the basis of these terms to be able to cash in.
I guess, Indiegogo focused on profit in these days.
All Indiegogo supported projects are scam since few weeks.
I just found a mail in my box from Indiegogo.
The subject is: An HD helicopter camera that fits in your pocket!
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