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One of the most difficult risks to manage with all sUAS flight operations, and in fact with most remote-controlled vehicle systems is radio interference. Detecting the threat and evading it is almost impossible without proper RF instrumentation, namely a decent spectrum analyser. It's not something even developers are taking to the field too frequently, not unless RF measurements are the specific tasks for the day.
Operators are even less aware of the possible RF issues facing them out there, even though they are potentially flying in way more diverse areas than UAV builders. Of course, we can teach pilots to watch out for the signs like mobile phone towers and large dishes, but RFI doesn't always have such visible sources out there. As the ISM frequencies mostly used by our birds are shared resources by definition, we must be able to check for potential interference in the target area.
We've developed a rugged docking field spectrum analyser module for our mission control stations (shown here: RHH link) that helps operators detect potential RFI issues early before take-off. It snaps right into the same RHH docking connector as our wedge RF boxes, and it has the same shape, but it houses a fast SA hardware, which can give you a full RF view up to 6GHz.
You can sweep your entire target spectrum on the embedded 10" tablet of the RHH controller using both omni and highly directional antennas. Because it works as a standard USB peripheral device, we've also retained its functionality outside of our own rugged GCS system, so you can still connect it to a PC, tablet or even your smartphone.
Teaching most operators to use this tool may involve a bit of RF background information, too, but having them tune the SA to their work frequencies and watch for spikes around there is not rocket science. Reading the real-time, peak signal and waterfall displays is also slam dunk after less than 30 minutes of training. The better risk awareness and the early detection of RFI is worth the extra effort especially for critical UAV missions and in difficult environments.
Of course, there are many cheap RTL-SDR devices available that are capable of SA applications with the right software. Unfortunately, most of them aren't fast enough, and they don't go much above 1.7GHz, either, whereas we are especially interested in the 2.4GHz, 3.5GHz and 5.8GHz bands, as well. RTL-SDR dongles can still help you see your way around 430MHz, 868MHz and 900MHz, but they are also great tools for picking up ADS-B traffic, which is getting more and more important for UAV operations.

At the end of this new DeltaQuad compilation video, you can see the 3D rendering that was created from a survey mission of a dutch peninsula. The mission was flown using a DeltaQuad Pro #MAP carrying a Sony A7R3 with a 35mm lens. Using Pix4D the data was processed and a 3D map of the island was rendered.

The company responsible for monitoring the island had previously used a DJI Inspire which required 18 batteries and 2 days of non-stop mapping. After switching to the DeltaQuad they were able to map the entire island in a single flight with no more then 60% battery consumption. The increased stability and high resolution camera payload produced significantly better quality images.

Make sure you watch the video to high resolution and skip to 3:16 to see the results.

Pretty much everyone these days knows that some companies can launch thousands of drones in the air and perform a breathtaking show with light and moving animation. This is an incredible piece of engineering, but  in attempt to do something similar one should consider technological, personnel and logistical capabilities of a worldwide corporation.

At Geoscan ltd, we decided to create our own droneshow on a budget using our already developed platform called Pioneer. Originally this quadcopter kit was designed for educational purposes. It is distributed to schools and technical communities to get students familiar with this kind of robots. The platform itself is modular, programmable and easy to assemble and use. 1300 mAh battery gives it solid 8 minutes of flight time. Equipped with GPS and LED modules, it turns into a perfect unit to run any kind of airshow imaginable.

Firstly, the animation is designed in any 3D editor. After that it is converted into multiple Lua script, which are uploaded to each Pioneer before takeoff. Despite we don’t use some expensive tech like RTK, there’s never been any serious issues during the flight. In the air each drone acts independently according to its pre-loaded trajectory, using GPS coordinates for orientation and barometer for altitude control.  There’s also a safety mode, which allows switching the whole swarm in manual control mode and landing it in case something goes wrong.

The first test flights took place in august involving 5, later 10 drones. Two months later, ten dozens of buzzing lights performed a breathtaking show on the Black sea coast. Having main troubles sorted out, we are currently improving animation capabilities and hope to launch 200 drones simultaneously by the end of 2018. You can learn more on our webpage  https://www.geoscan.aero/en/pioneer/. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding Pioneer drone.

Tersus UAV PPK Solution with Base Station

Tersus UAV PPK solution includes BX316R PPK Receiver, AX3705 Helix Antenna and Tersus GeoPix Software. BX316R PPK Receiver supports multi-constellations and dual-frequencies. It has in-built 4G memory for GNSS observation data recoding. Very small and light AX3705 Helix Antenna is designed for UAV applications.

Tersus GeoPix integrates the functions of GNSS observation post processing, Event Mark interpolation and geotagging in EXIF. By clicking one button after input all necessary data, the software will provide the result directly as input for image processing software.

We provide David Base/Rover Kit Network Mode as default kit as Base Station working with UAV PPK Solution. It can not only work as Base Station to record GNSS raw data for post processing, but also as an easy-to-use Rover receiver to measure Ground Control Points for photogrammetry.

Multi-chart and multi-scale features implemented to DRONEE PLOTTER. Now you can visualize multiple log attributes on multiple charts, zoom to the time frame synchronously. Also, you can visualize multiple scale data on the same chart.

Visit: https://plot.dron.ee/

 For DRONEE autopilot system and drones visit: https://dron.ee/

The ideas have no value, the important thing is the execution....

A few years ago, I came up with a solution to move loads with drones efficiently,

which consisted in articulating the arms of the drone, as the load moved out of this...

This in order to keep the thrust center aligned with the center of mass.

I gave much importance in this time to this idea but nobody of my colleges paid attention...

I made a couple of tests with a structure without motors, hanging from the ceiling whith springs controlling that

the tension of each spring was the indicated, the same.

Iḿ not going to mess anymore here i leave a document with the small study i this at that time

and it turned out that the idea was perfectly possible.

The applications that crossed my mind were enormous, perhaps the most striking was,

to grind weeds on the facades as well as the cleaning of these and roofs, paintig at height,

delivering packages in the window...

all this because the telescopic arm according to my calculations and my scale model could

extend even more than one meter beyond the propellers.

But the really interesting thing is that the drone consumes much less energy in

sustaining the same load, because the engines maintain the same thrust, like the

initial situation...blah blah blah...

For some reason i never started to build it seriously...i returned today to search on the

internet, and surprise :) someone has built it, itś a small prototype, but the idea

is nailed (video above)

Of course this is not an excuse to not continue with the project,
it is much more important the execution of the idea and its team, that the idea
here i leave my pdf : https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_AORk1fc0-E-jtf8a8JXMY6YU-jdj7FV
drone study

Copter-3.6.0 has been released as the default version for Multicopters and Traditional Helicopters.
The release announcement is here and includes the large number of changes: https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/copter-3-6-0-released.
Thanks very much to the developers and beta testers who contributed to this release! We have put a lot of effort into testing this release and we hope that it will go smoothly but if you find issues, please report them in the support forums here and we will try and address them asap: https://discuss.ardupilot.org/c/arducopter/copter-36

Enjoy!

Marco
(Ardupilot Dev Team)

After the successful launch of the DeltaQuad Pro, and DeltaQuad Pro #MAP, Vertical Technologies has now launched the DeltaQuad Pro #VIEW; A long range surveillance drone based on the DeltaQuad hybrid VTOL fixed wing UAV.

The DeltaQuad Pro #VIEW offers all the advantages of the DeltaQuad Pro and is equipped with a high grade surveillance camera. The available surveillance packages range from entry-level nose cameras to state of the art computer guided thermal & RGB controllable gimbals. Every package is accompanied by a carefully selected video transmission system for optimal quality and range. 

This newest addition to our range of DeltaQuad models has been developed and tested for more then 6 months and is currently in active duty with several launching customers. The 3 surveillance payloads to choose from range from simple static SD video to full HD 30km range dual thermal & RGB camera gimbals with object tracking and automatic retracting. 

Check out all the specs and options at deltaquad.com/view

Just another day at the Dronecode flight testing line. Want to see the logs? They're all here, including 3D replay of the flights (click on date link to see all the data goodness): 

Today FlightZoomer Cockpit 3.1 has been released (in the MS store the name is still FlightZoomer Cockpit 3). The app offers a number of nice improvements over the big version 3 release from August.

The most notable one are interactive checklists, which are demonstrated in this video:

This features supports entirely customizable checklists for each flight phase, for different aircraft and/or different hardware configurations.

With the voice synthetization and recognition, the pilot gets an efficient and safe method to work with checklists while the impact on the workload stays almost zero. It is therefore even realistic to work through checklists during the flight and without taking the eyes from the aircraft or the most crucial instruments.

See in this fascinating video, how real pilots handle the checklist part (if you are in a hurry, go to 5:41 to directly jump into the checklist action; besides that the rest of the video is also a great resource to find similarities between full scale and FlightZoomer operations):

More details about the FlightZoomer checklist feature can be found on this fresh documentation page:
https://flightzoomer.com/hfw_using-checklists.html

Other new features in the FlightZoomer Cockpit 3.1 app are these:

• Support for the RTF quadcopter 3DR Solo has been added
• FPV Video from Solo in HD integrated in the cockpit app (with various layouts, among others also the only correct one: the FPV view appears above the glareshield!)
• RTSP video feed can be integrated
• UDP connectivity added (which enables e.g. Andruav connectivity -> Android 3G)
• Screen recording of the Cockpit app
• Much more detailed documentation under https://flightzoomer.com/hfw_contents.html 1
• Small improvements and bug fixes

The FlightZoomer Cockpit 3.1 app is still on sale for some days (100% discount!) so install it from the MS store!

Lockheed Martin acquired an Aeromapper Talon from Canadian UAV manufacturer Aeromao Inc, specially suited with a dual camera setup with long range video transmission capabilities.

The Aeromapper Talon fixed wing autonomous aircraft suited the specific requirements for this project in which an affordable, reliable and customizable platform was sought. The purchase happened during the summer of 2018.

As part of the requirements, the forward-looking video sensor had to be capable of recording high resolution video, send live video signal to a minimum distance of 20 miles, provide 10X zoom capability and tilt from horizontal to fully vertical on pilot’s command. Additionally, the UAV was required to carry simultaneously a thermal camera looking straight down, and the video signal on the receiving GCS required to be switched between the 10x zoom camera and the nadir thermal sensor.

Additionally, the unit had to maintain the ability to carry a swappable 24Mp camera for conventional mapping missions when required. 

Such a unique configuration can be used for a number of applications like search and rescue, wild life monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, wild life research, pipeline observation and more.

The unit was delivered in late summer during 2018.

Hello everyone.

This demonstration simulates flapping movements when the bat lifts up as well as thrusts forward.

We already recognized the fundamental mechanisms of flight of insects and bats through the divine formula. https://youtu.be/5p_oaCjPSS4 https://youtu.be/oYIEECRYmdM This time, Varipon Institute added a mechanism to bend the fingers and fold the wings in the flying of bats. This is feedback of the advanced mechanism cultivated in the research and development of the human swimming stroke so far. https://youtu.be/OOLJuDmayvw

Varipon Institute now provide you the movement modeling data at the official site. You can explore other flapping and add further improvements.

The movement modeling data :
http://varipon.com/index.php/work-plan-9/task-94-bats-and-divine-formula/

--

So a few years ago I founded our sister community, DIY Robocars, and today it's more than 10,000 participants around the world doing race and hackathons nearly every weekend. Above is an example (from yesterday's race in Oakland) of the sort of performance we're now seeing -- scale speeds of more than 100 MPH, with advanced computer vision, localization and navigation running at 60FPS on cars that cost less than $200. 

To replace the lens for Gopro Hero 3, first, prepare for the new original lens for Gopro Hero 3,

Original Gorpo Hero 3 Lens

Then begin to open the gopro, it needs some tools, screwdriver, crowbar,tweezers.

First step, unclench the front panel,

Second, remove four screws, unclench from the side, then we can dismantle the circuit board.

Dismantle the CCD,

Manual Focus,

Hello DiyDrones!

Based on the reception for our first teaser video, we at aeiou think some of you might be interested in seeing our next trailer for the Dawn on board AI platform for UAS. 

At aeiou our vision is to create drones that understand their environment as well as a real worker would. Dawn runs on a companion computer, using AI to completely monitor its surroundings while performing automated operations like inspection, object tracking or delivery. Dawn also has an API and simulation environment that lets non AI expert developers build apps to support specific types of missions & train Dawn's deep learning models to detect new things.  

See Dawn in action and learn more at aeiou.tech

The Sky Eye-25HZ is a ruggedized, high performance 25X electro-optical zoom camera payload designed for demanding applications that require high quality and precise images, like inspection for building, power lines, tower, pipelines etc. High-performance 3-axis gimbal is using advanced FOC(field-oriented control) motor control technology which will enable you to get a 0.01 degree incredible precise control, so the gimbal will give you crystal clear and stable video footage.

25.9 megapixel still image 
Still image resolution of Sky Eye-25HZ reaches up to 25.9 megapixel, click HERE to check building inspection images.

Compact and lightweight
Sky Eye-25HZ weighs as little as 782g to help you meet your payload weight allowance

Easy for integration
Sky Eye-25HZ can not only be controlled via PWM signal, but also serial command. Also gimbal status(like Yaw/Pitch angle,zoom position etc) can be obtained by sending serial command to the gimbal via its serial port, which is really useful for precise gimbal control and system integration.

Clean and simple wiring
Sky Eye-25HZ comes with one wiring hub for RC receiver and video output port, which makes wiring pretty easy and clean. Also the gimbal offers 2 smart speed modes: FAST speed and LOW speed.Fast speed mode is used for small zooming range,which makes the gimbal control sensitive and quick. LOW speed mode is used for large zoom range, will enable you to target the object more accurately.

Features:

1) 782grams, lightweight
2) 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor
3) 25X zoom capability, 1080P/60 HDMI output for video downlink
4) Still image resolution: 25.9 Megapixels
5) 4K video recorded for on-board TF card
6) PWM control and serial command control
7) Convenient wiring hub for RC receiver and video output
8) 3-axis high stabilized gimbal system
9) Adjustable control speed: SLOW speed for large zoom range, accurate. FAST speed for small zoom range, sensitive and quick.
10) One key back to home position

Photos

It's customary and traditional that we celebrate the addition of every 1,000 new members here and share the traffic stats. We've now passed 89,000 members!

Thanks as always to all the community members who make this growth possible, and especially to the administrators and moderators who approve new members, blog posts and otherwise respond to questions and keep the website running smoothly.

Part 2 of my Tutorial about Precision Landing, using a Raspberry Pi, OpenCv, Arducopter and Dronekit.

> Plus my first Shout Out... at the very end!

> Plus the first Coding Challenge: submit your precision landing video and the best one will be in my next shout out!

Watch Part 1 here

At Workswell, we come with a new drones camera system designed to detect dangerous gases. The aim of the system is to provide information on the occurrence of hazardous or noxious gas at a safe distance, using drones. We used standard infrared optical metohod for gas leakage detection - cooled thermal imaging camera.

Thermal imaging camera Workswell GIS-320 can detect a wide spectrum of gases, which are invisible to a human’s eye.

The GIS-320 has a high sensitivity with a cooled MWIR (Midwave Infrared) sensor with a range of detection between 3.2 – 3.4 µm. Cooled quantum detector’s resolution is 320×240 pixels which is a perfect for this thermal camera. This detector operates on a very low temperature which increases its detection capability. Its operating temperature is about -200°C which increases its temperature sensitivity (15mK). This enables it to detect gases of very small concentrations.

Ie. camera is capable to detect gases for instance (at a distance of tens of meters):

• Benzene
• Ethanol
• Ethylbenzene
• Heptane
• Hexane
• Isoprene
• Methanol
• MEK
• MIBK
• Octane
• Pentane
• 1-Pentane
• Toluene
• Xylene
• Butane
• Ethane
• Methane
• Propane
• Ethylene
• and more

Princip of gas detection based on MWRI thermal imaging camera is very well described here.

The dimensions of the camera are 201 x 150 x 105 mm and it weighs under 1.6kg.

From Hackaday:

Most civilized nations ban the use of landmines because they kill indiscriminately, and for years after they are planted. However, they are still used in many places around the world, and people are still left trying to find better ways to find and remove them. This group is looking at an interesting new approach: using ground-penetrating radar from a drone [PDF link]. The idea is that you send out a radio signal, which penetrates into the ground and bounces off any objects in there. By analyzing the reflected signal, so the theory goes, you can see objects underground. Of course, it gets a bit more complicated than that (especially when signals get reflected by the surface and other objects), but it’s a well-established technique even though this is the first time we’ve seen it mounted on a drone. It’s a great idea: the drone allows you to have the transmitting and receiving antennas separated with both mounted on pole extensions, meaning that the radio platform can move. Combined with a pre-planned flight, and we’re looking at a system that can fly over an area, scan what is under the ground, and store the data for analysis.

This team includes [J. Rodriguez], [C. Castiblanco] [I. Mondragon] and  [J. Colorado] at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotoa, Colombia. This team attached an Ettus URP B210 SDR card with two Vivaldi antennas to an Astec Firefly drone, linked via WiFi to a Linux server for the heavy data analysis in GNURadio. The two antennas were located on either side of the drone,  attached to a crossbar that separated them and also held the Ettus SDR device.

The trials on the device look promising: the team was able to detect several metal objects in a number of different soil types. The soil type and moisture level is a big part of the problem here: it affects the transmission of the radio signal, and thus the object detection. It’s a promising project that has potential: as the writers note, the use of an SDR system means that the radio detection system can be reconfigured, literally, on the fly. That means it could be adapted to different soil types, and even to detect different sized objects.