DJI Camera Announcement Photos Leak Ahead of Launch – DJI Inspiration?

Today DJI started the teaser campaign for a new product announcement that is to be launched officially in about 13 hours from time this post goes live and all we learn from it is that it’s going to be called Inspiration, I assume DJI Inspiration.

dji inspiration leak

 

As DJI is becoming the Apple of quadcopters, lot’s of speculation emerges around the time new product launches as it was the case with the DJI Inspire 1 leak last year before the official announcement.

This time images on Chinese DJI related site called SB-DJI emerged show what apparently is a new camera addition the Inspire 1 range. If I am not mistaken it is the same site as the one that leaked the Inspire 1 photos last year.  Now as we do not know if this actually is the Inspiration product that DJI is teasing us with, we can only hope that the new camera that appears to sport removable lenses actually IS what we will be seeing shortly. The other feature that seems imminent is that this time DJI is announcing a product that is modular so we might just be able to use it on existing Inspire 1 quads.

So Is This DJI Inspiration? The product to launch in like 13 hours?

Anyhow, delve into the images below and feel free to speculate on what the partly black Phantom could be in the background on the last one :).

DJI inspiration dji camera announcement leak

DJI inspiration dji camera announcement leak

DJI inspiration dji camera announcement leak

DJI inspiration dji camera announcement leak

DJI inspiration dji camera announcement leak

Aaaaand the really interesting one. What the heck could the partly black Phantom be in the background? Any guesses?

dji inspiration dji camera product leak

http://www.dronethusiast.com/dji-camera-announcement-photos-leak-ahead-of-launch-dji-inspiration/

FLIR Introduces New Professional-Grade Thermal Camera for Commercial Drones

flirVue-profile-collage

FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced the newest member of FLIR Vue™ thermal imaging camera series for unmanned aircraft, the FLIR Vue Pro. Following the introduction of the popular FLIR Vue earlier in 2015, the new FLIR Vue Pro delivers expanded capabilities to sUAS operators by delivering precision thermal imaging, enhanced data collection capabilities, in-flight control of a variety of camera functions, and easy set-up with mobile apps.

In addition to providing the same easy power-in/analog video-out connection that has been so popular on the FLIR Vue, the FLIR Vue Pro records digital thermal video, along with thermal still images, to an on-board micro-SD card. For applications such as electrical inspection, infrastructure assessment, and precision mapping, this on-board recording allows operators to capture thermal data for later analysis. Video files can be recorded in either MJPEG or H.264 format, while the 14-bit still images provide high dynamic range imagery for mapping and survey applications.

The Accessory Port gives users direct control of camera functions like changing the image’s color palettes, starting and stopping recording, and the camera’s e-zoom, making the Vue Pro much more flexible and capable of adapting to mission requirements in flight. With MAVLink compatibility, the FLIR Vue Pro interfaces easily with the standard flight control systems used for mapping, survey, and precision agriculture missions. It can be configured to automatically capture images and annotate each image with the aircraft’s position and other critical flight information. These images are then instantly compatible with leading imaging stitching and orthomosaic-creation software like Pix4Dmapper.

“Building on the pioneering of the original FLIR Vue, the FLIR Vue Pro puts even more thermal imaging   functionality and greater flexibility in the hands of sUAS operators,” said Jeff Frank, FLIR’s Senior Vice President for Product Strategy. “The Vue Pro enables commercial drone operators to provide clients with the actionable, temperature-based data to increase efficiency and improve critical business decisions.”

As a result of the FLIR Vue Pro’s Bluetooth interface with a custom app available for iOS and Android devices, camera set-up is easy for both professionals and hobbyists.  Through the FLIR Vue Pro app, operators can configure functions to ensure the best imagery possible for their conditions without having to connect the camera to a computer.

The FLIR Vue Pro has been recognized as a recipient of a 2015 IoT Evolution Drone Innovation Award and is being showcased at Interdrone in Las Vegas from September 9th to September 11th.  It will be available to purchase later in 2015 from FLIR.com as well as through international drone camera dealers.  Pricing for the FLIR Vue Pro begins at $1,999.

 

To learn more about the FLIR Vue Pro, please visit www.flir.com/flirvue.

The Swarm: Man carrying multi-rotor. NOT a UAV

54enginedmannedquad

I will just park this here…

The Swarm man carrying multi-rotor airborne flight testing montage. 54 counter-rotation propellers, six grouped control channels with Hobbyking stabilization. Take of weight 148kg, max lift, max approx. lift 164kg. Endurance10 minutes.

 

 

Last years test flight.

https://youtu.be/1qlfAMjcPtI

 

http://www.suasnews.com/2015/08/38169/the-swarm/

Feds approve paper airplane drone flights

powerup3.0_2_grande

By Keith Laing

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the use of a paper airplane that is a drone.

The agency issued the approval for flights of a drone that is described as a “smartphone-controlled paper airplane.” In doing so, it waived requirements for FAA approval of drone flights that are operated outside of restricted airspace and below 200 feet.

The agency said the flights were approved for “aerial photography and videography” purposes.

The makers of the paper airplane drone, Connecticut-based Tailor Toys PowerUp, tout the paper airplane drones as a revolutionary product.

“The PowerUp 3.0 transforms ordinary paper planes into smartphone-controlled flying machines,” the company says about the devices on its website.

“Simply tilt your smartphone or tablet to maneuver right or left and use PowerUp’s throttle lever to ascend or descend,” the description continues. “The motorized frame’s 180 feet/ 55 meter range, crash­-resistant design, and responsive motion control and precision turning give users extremely flexible flight control.”

The FAA has approved more than 1,000 drone flights in the process of developing regulations for allowing a rapid expansion of the use of the devices in the U.S.

The agency has faced tremendous pressure to approve an expansion of nonmilitary drone use from companies such as Amazon, which has said the technology can be used to make speedier online deliveries.

Police and other law enforcement groups were also seeking approval to use the technology, and the FAA has investigated several drone incidents that occurred in conjunction with photography at college and professional sporting events.

The section of law that allows the FAA to grant drone exemptions gives the Transportation Department the authority to drop a requirement that operators of the technology apply for a certificate of airworthiness that is normally required for flights that are formally considered an aircraft.

In its letter to the paper airplane drone petitioner, Connecticut resident Peter Sachs, the FAA said it “has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to the petitioner.’

The definition of drones as aircraft under the FAA’s proposed rules has riled recreational operators of the devices who consider themselves hobbyists instead of pilots.

The FAA’s rules define small drones as devices that weigh less than 55 pounds and require them to be operated at heights that are less than 500 feet and speeds that are less than 100 miles per hour.

The regulations also call for drone flights to be limited to daytime hours and conducted only by U.S. residents who are older than 17.

Drone operators are also prohibited under the FAA proposal from conducting flights that take the devices out of their line of vision — a big blow to companies like Amazon that have touted the possibility of using the technology to conduct deliveries.

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/252141-feds-approve-paper-airplane-drone-flights

Sony’s quadcopter takes smartphone tech to the skies

 

Aerosense droneAerosense drone

A drone developed by Sony’s unmanned aerial vehicle venture Aerosense is seen in a promo image. The startup wil target enterprise users in everything from farming to construction from 2016. Credit: Aerosense
Equipped with a high-speed data transfer module, the quadcopter uses Sony’s lens-style camera to image construction sites and farms.

By Tim Hornyak

IDG News Service | Aug 24, 2015

Sony is gunning for a slice of the growing drone market, showing off newly developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from its just-launched drone venture, Aerosense.

In addition to the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) craft hinted at last month, Aerosense on Monday exhibited a quadcopter that makes use of Sony’s lens-type camera, the QX30.

The camera, which resembles a lens for a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera and can link to smartphones, is attached to the belly of the quadcopter, where it can take high-resolution images.

Designed for use in urban areas such as construction zones, the AS-MC01-P quadcopter weighs about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) and can fly for about 15 to 20 minutes on a battery charge.

It can operate autonomously, flying within a preset zone, and is equipped with GPS, Wi-Fi and an inertial navigation system. It also has a high-speed data transfer module that uses Sony’s TransferJet technology.

In a presentation in Tokyo, Aerosense showed how photography from the camera can be turned into 3D imagery, showing, for instance, the volumes of piles of gravel at a construction site.

The venture’s other craft, the AS-DT01-E winged VTOL drone, has a rotor system that allows it to fly like a helicopter or a plane. The advantage of the winged format is that it can fly at much higher speeds than most non-military drones — up to 170 kilometers per hour (106 miles/hour) compared to high-speed quadcopters that fly at 75 kph (47 mph).

Weighing 7kg (15 pounds), it can carry a 3kg payload (6.6 pounds) and operate for at least two hours on a battery charge.

Aerosense will target enterprise customers when it begins to offer drones for monitoring, surveying and inspection next year.

Potential applications include photographing agricultural land, mining sites and mountainous areas to check for damage after a storm.

Sony wants to use its smartphone technologies such as cameras and networking know-how to give Aerosense an edge. Sony Mobile Communications owns just over 50% of the venture, with the rest in the hands of Tokyo robotics firm ZMP, which set up a robot taxi company earlier this year along with mobile gaming giant DeNA.

Sony also has robotics resources that it is putting into the drone business. Aerosense’s CTO is Kotaro Sabe, who worked on the electronics maker’s Aibo robot dog and Qrio humanoid robot, both of which were shelved when Sony shut down its entertainment robot business about 10 years ago.

Sony’s Xperia smartphones have been struggling in Japan and overseas against the more popular Apple iPhone as well as Android rivals.

“It’s possible that future growth in smartphones could be limited, so we have to engage and invest in new business opportunities,” said Hiroki Totoki, head of Sony Mobile Communications.

 

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2975016/emerging-technology/sonys-quadcopter-takes-its-smartphone-tech-to-the-skies.html