The Drone Files

Yuneec International — makers of the popular Typhoon Q500 aerial photography drones, have just introduced a new hexacopter to their Typhoon lineup — the Typhoon H.

The Typhoon H addresses demands by consumers who want a more sophisticated drone that delivers pro grade features at prosumer prices. Equipped with a 360-degree camera gimbal system and a retractable landing gear in an easy Ready-To-Fly (RTF) package, the Typhoon H is expected to retail for $1,799.

The Typhoon H comes with a CGO3+ camera and 360-degree gimbal which allows for unlimited panning while capturing 4K videos and 12MP still photos. The landing gear also fully retracts during flight to provide for unobstructed camera views. It also features plenty of carbon fiber for a lightweight and durable overall design.

Flight features include Point of Interest, Orbit, Curved Cable and Journey along with new safety features such as ultrasonic proximity sensors to avoid large obstacles and a failsafe system which allows it to stabilize and land when a motor failure is detected. Other safety features include Geo-fencing, Variable Speed Control, Dynamic Return Home, Low-Battery Return Home and FAA No Fly.

“A central part of our mission is to bring new and advanced creative possibilities within the reach of everyone,” said Yu Tian, chief executive officer of Yuneec International.

“We’ve engineered the Typhoon H to redefine what customers should expect to pay for a drone with such an array of professional features. At this price point, no other drone comes close to the Typhoon H in terms of capability and value.”

In keeping with Yuneec’s reputation of producing user-friendly drones, the Typhoon H features quick release props that allow for speedy removal from the motors. Each motor arm can also be folded down for easy and compact transportation with a custom-designed hardcase backpack.

The Typhoon H comes with an Android-based ST16 transmitter which features a 7-inch integrated display and HD720p FPV (First Person View) feed.

EHang recently unveiled what it calls the world’s first personal Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) in a multirotor guise. Dubbed the 184, EHang’s latest and probably boldest creation to date is currently being showcased at CES 2016.

At the heart of the EHang 184 is a fully autonomous system designed for transporting one passenger and luggage at speeds up to 100km/h with flight times of up to 23 minutes.

The folks at EHang realize the risks and hassle of having human pilots operate flying vehicles so the 184 was designed to be fully autonomous to eliminate the possibility of human error and the need for a pilot’s license.

The world’s first electric, personal Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) – EHang 184 (PRNewsFoto/EHANG)

Here are the EHang 184 specifications at a glance:

• Standing 1.5 meters tall and weighing 200 kilograms (440 pounds), the EHang 184 AAV has a load capacity of 100 kilograms (220 pounds), with the maximum output of 106W powered by eight motors. It’s designed to have the capability to carry a single passenger for 23 minutes’ duration flight at sea level at average cruising speed of 100 km/h.
• The EHang 184 AAV body consists of a cabin for single passenger with a gull-wing door, a trunk and the power system composed of four arms and eight propellers on the bottom. The four arms, when folded, allow the AAV to occupy the same size parking space as consumer cars.
• Inside the cabin is placed a single seat, with a design similar to an F1 racing car seat. In front of the seat is a tablet console, through which passengers can easily input commands. Additionally, the cabin’s built-in air conditioner automatically adjusts the in-cabin temperature. Complete with 4G Wi-Fi Internet, EHang 184 provides passengers with comfortable and enjoyable riding experiences.

Having computers take full control of a flying vehicle ferrying a human passenger, who has no control at all on the vehicle’s flight, may seem dicey but in reality, human error has been the main cause of most air disasters. Computers not only make significantly less mistakes than humans, they have also been routinely used in airplane autopilots for many years.

The EHang 184’s safety features include:

• Built in reinforcements for all flight systems, so that in the unlikely event that a component does fail, multiple backups are already in place to seamlessly take over.
• EHang’s independently developed Fail-Safe System ensures that if any components malfunction, or if there’s damage while the AAV is in-flight (i.e. from a bird), the aircraft will immediately begin taking the necessary precautions to ensure safety. The 184’s Fail-Safe System automatically evaluates the damage and determines whether the AAV will need to land to ensure its passenger’s safety.
• The EHang 184 AAV flight control systems have multiple sets of sensors that provide the drone a constant stream of real-time data.
• The 184’s communication system was also designed with a safety guarantee: every system is encrypted, and each AAV comes with an independent key.
• In the event of an emergency, passengers can elect to halt flight and simply hover in the air with just one click.

To fly in the EHang 184, a passenger simply gets into it and keys in the destination into a smartphone or tablet and the 184 will set the course on its own. The passenger can then just sit back and let the drone take over.

To make things safer, all EHang 184’s will operate in conjunction with a 24/7, real-time flight command center, that will monitor and control every single drone under its command. Among other things, the command center will be able to prevent any 184 from taking off in the event of heavy thunderstorms or unfavorable weather conditions.

EHang hopes to market the 184 not only to the personal transportation industry but also to other fields such as shipping, emergency services and retail.

“It’s been a lifetime goal of mine to make flight faster, easier and more convenient than ever. The 184 provides a viable solution to the many challenges the transportation industry faces in a safe and energy efficient way,” said EHang CEO Huazhi Hu.

“I truly believe that EHang will make a global impact across dozens of industries beyond personal travel. The 184 is evocative of a future we’ve always dreamed of and is primed to alter the very fundamentals of the way we get around.”

The concept of personal AAV’s is certainly a novel one but we reckon there will be plenty of obstacles to overcome to get the EHang 184 commercially available. Government regulations and other unaddressed safety concerns will certainly need to be addressed if the EHang 184 project is to successfully take off.

For instance, the 184’s massive and exposed propellers, all 8 of them, can prove to be a serious threat should the drone land in an urban area with plenty of people around. We’d love to see EHang update the design of the 184 to feature some lightweight prop guards.

Despite these hurdles, we believe the dawn of personal AAV’s is here and it is just a matter of time before the technology is perfected and safety issues addressed, making affordable personal air travel a reality in the near future.

DJI has recently unveiled a new addition to the Phantom 3 lineup — the Phantom 3 4K and a newly updated Inspire 1 Pro Black Edition at CES 2016.

The Phantom 3 4K, as its name suggests, comes with a 4K gimbal-stabilized camera with remote control buttons for playback, video recording and camera shutter. The Phantom 3 4K is really not much different from its other siblings in the Phantom 3 range and features only minor changes and tweaks.

The biggest difference is the use of WiFi for the P3 4K’s video downlink instead of DJI’s Lightbridge. The WiFi downlink has a claimed broadcast range of 1.2km. The use of WiFi instead of DJI’s class-leading Lightbridge is meant to keep the cost of the P3 4K down as Paul Pan, DJI’s Senior Product Manger comments:

The Phantom 3 4K fills an important gap in our Phantom portfolio. It offers a high-quality camera and smart navigation system for a lower price than our professional models. This is possible, as we have replaced the DJI Lightbridge system with a built-in WiFi link.

In conjunction with the company’s 10th anniversary, DJI is offering the Phantom 3 4K at a promotional price of $799. The promotion also extends to the Phantom 3 Advanced which now retails for $799 and the entry-level Phantom 3 Standard at $499.

DJI also took the opportunity to showcase its latest update to its Inspire 1 flagship line — the Inspire 1 Pro Black Edition.

The latest Inspire 1 is DJI’s answer to calls from drone enthusiasts for an all-black version of the original Inspire 1. The Inspire 1 Pro Black Edition comes with a matte black transmitter, battery and body shell and comes with the Zenmuse X5 camera gimbal system which features a Micro 4/3 camera.

It can’t get any blacker than that, really.

To make sure there is at least some variety, DJI will continue to sell the original Inspire 1 alongside the new model for those who don’t quite like having an all-black drone.

The Inspire 1 Pro Black Edition is expected to sell for about $4,799.

What has the same size and weight as a soccer ball, flies in the air and takes videos and photos? There’s only one thing that fits that description and it’s the Fleye Drone.

At first glance, the Fleye Drone looks like something that came out of a science fiction movie. Drones generally look futuristic but the Fleye Drone is on a different level altogether. It has a near spherical design that resembles a soccer ball with a HD camera positioned at its top.

What makes the Fleye truly unique is its single motor design. Unlike other multirotors that use 3 or more motors for propulsion, the Fleye relies on only 1 motor. However, the way it propels itself in the air is very similar to a multirotor.

The drone’s single motor generates all the propulsion it needs which is then subdivided by four control vanes positioned underneath it to generate lift and motion. For example, if it is directed to move forward, the vane at the rear of the drone repositions to allow more propulsion to the rear. With its main propeller hidden neatly in its body, seeing the Fleye cruise in the air can seem a bit otherworldly to the casual observer.

This fully enclosed motor design not only makes for some truly neat aesthetics, it also makes the drone a lot safer compared to other drones that have exposed motors. One only needs to do a quick Google search to discover the kind of damage that fast spinning drone propellers can cause. With the Fleye, there is no way you’re going to accidentally cut yourself in the hands or face when things go wrong.

The Fleye Drone weighs a lightweight 450g and has a diameter of about 23cm. It is assisted by an array of 7 sensors — an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, sonar, optical flow camera, altimeter and GPS. Commanding it all is a Linux-powered flight controller and computer with dual-core processors and 512MB of memory. Power is provided by a 1500mAh 3S battery which gives it a flight time of about 10 minutes.

Fleye can be piloted using a smartphone app that is available on both Android and iOS. By default, the drone can fly autonomously in various camera modes such as selfie, panorama and virtual tripod. These modes do not require any piloting skills. If manual control is needed, the app has a virtual control pad. Alternatively, a Bluetooth gamepad can also be used.

The makers of Fleye have also made it an open platform which means software developers will have the freedom to develop specific apps for the drone once it’s available.

The Fleye Drone is currently on a fundraising campaign at Kickstarter with 6 more days to go.

In the past year, virtual reality (VR) technology has made inroads into the drone industry with a number of new consumer drones such as EHang’s Ghost Drone 2.0 already sporting VR in their spec sheets. Although the technology has become more affordable over the years, the use of VR in drones have largely been limited to camera control only.

Drones with VR cameras also have specific hardware such as proprietary VR goggles that were not designed to work with anything else other than the drones they were designed for. Such proprietary approach means the use of VR in drones is still limited and relatively costly.

One company — Dream Flights VR, hopes to change all that with a smartphone app that may be the answer in bringing VR to the masses.

What’s so exciting about the Dream Flights app is the fact that it can be used with existing drones such as the DJI Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 without the need to purchase any expensive hardware such as VR goggles. Best of all, it costs only $50 to purchase. A demo/simulator version of the app is also available for free.

Unlike VR in drones such as the Ghost Drone 2.0 and FLYBi which only allow VR control on their cameras, Dream Flights provides complete flight and camera control with VR. All you need to do is install the Dream Flights app on your smartphone (make sure it has a gyroscope for VR to work properly) and place it in a pair of VR goggles such as the Google VR cardboard, Carl Zeiss VR or Samsung Gear VR and you’re in business. The app also has a brand new way of presenting flight parameters on the display so you don’t need to remove your VR goggles to look at a separate radio control.

Dream Flights has a brand new way of presenting flight parameters on the VR display so you don’t need to remove your VR goggles to look at a separate radio control.

Piloting your drone, however, requires some practice but once you’re familiar with how the system works, it can be very rewarding. Flight control is accomplished by simply tilting and turning your body and head, giving you the virtual experience of flying like a bird.

To make the experience even more engaging, the app features real-time 3D video through the use of a special algorithm that delays video frames for one eye relative to the other, creating the illusion of 3D using a standard single lens camera. Besides 3D effects, Dream Flights also includes sounds of rushing wind delivered via headphones to simulate the feeling of speed and movement.

The Dream Flights app is currently available for Android and can be downloaded here.

At the moment, there is no word yet on a version for iOS nor has Dream Flights announced any plans to develop the app for platforms other than DJI. Being an app, we reckon it wouldn’t be too hard for the company to adapt it to other drones should its initial version end up a success. With Dream Flights, truly affordable and immersive VR flying is finally here for the masses.

When it comes to lifting heavy cameras such as DSLRs into the air, photographers have mostly been limited to large and cumbersome aerial photography platforms that were not only heavy but also complicated to set up and transport.

Most of these heavy duty drones also make use of open airframes with exposed components and wiring. One company is hoping to change all that with a highly portable and integrated turn-key solution that is capable of lifting some of the most popular professional camera gear in use today.

Enter the ProDrone Byrd — a ready-to-fly GPS-enabled drone that can be quickly folded into a square form factor similar to that of an iPad (albeit a lot thicker) with an impressive payload capacity of 4.5lb (3.8kg).

The Byrd, which was unveiled some time last year, was designed with complete portability in mind. The arms, propellers and landing gear all collapse into a package small enough to fit into a typical backpack. The drone also has a modular design that allows operators to fly different types of cameras with it.

Just a week ago, the company released the new Ultimate Flying Platform line of static mounts capable of lifting and integrating with several of the world’s most popular pro cameras. These new mounts are compatible with the Byrd and will allow it to carry cameras such as the Sony DSC-RX100M4, Canon 5D Mark III, Panasonic GH4 and Sony a7RII.

Understanding that the Byrd will be used mainly by professional film makers and photographers, ProDrone has provided the option of using two transmitters/controllers with it. This option allows the pilot to focus on flying the Byrd with a co-pilot to operate the camera. The two-controller setup can also be used by drone intsructors who are training less experienced pilots to fly the Byrd.

The ProDrone Byrd will be available in 3 different versions — Standard, Advanced and Premium. ProDrone have not announced any official pricing yet but rumors indicate that it may cost between $800 and $3,000, depending on configuration. It is now available for pre-order at official ProDrone partners Carolina Dronz, 4KFly and Aces Deals.

Be still my beating heart. Nowadays, drones are not only toys for entertainment, they are sidekicks in marriage proposals as well.

Last December, Coltin Lira set marriage proposals to new heights when he proposed to girlfriend Haley Barker with the help of a drone.

Coltin, 27, surprised Haley, 24, with a proposal in front of a Christmas tree near Houston, Texas. The unsuspecting Haley thought they were just posing for some cute Christmas photos and thought nothing of the drone flying above them.

Things began to make more sense when Coltin reaches up to a dangling basket from the drone so Haley can take out a note while he retrieves an engagement ring box. After Haley has read the note, Coltin drops to one knee and pops the question. Of course, there is only one answer to such a unique proposal — Yes!

The DM007 is a sub-$100 toy quadcopter with a diagonal motor size of 175mm. It comes in two variants — a WiFi FPV version with 2MP HD camera and another FPV version with 0.3MP HD camera. It is also available in black or white.

At first glance, the DM007 looks like any other toy quadcopter in its class but look closer and you’ll notice that it has significantly shorter propellers (6cm to be exact) compared to other toy drones of similar size. Look even closer and you’ll notice that those short propellers are not connected to pinion gears but are mounted directly to their respective motors. It also comes with a very large capacity 7.4V 400mAh 2-cell battery.

These are the key differences that distinguishes the DM007 from the rest.

Everything else about the drone appears insignificant. It has a sleek-looking body with built-in prop guards, a HD camera mounted on its belly and cool LED lights at its head and tail.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 185 x 205 x 70mm
• Diagonal motor distance: 175mm
• Motor size: 12mm
• Weight: 98g (with battery and camera)
• Flight time: 6 to 8 minutes
• Battery: 7.4V 400mAh 2S Li Po
• Charging time: 80 to 90 minutes
• Control distance: approximately 100m
• Transmitter power: 4 x 1.5V AA batteries (not included)

Flight Performance

As mentioned earlier, the DM007 has short propellers that are directly mounted to their motors. So how exactly does this translate to flight performance?

In multirotor design, shorter propellers generate less propulsion compared to longer ones when spinning at the same speed. In order to match the propulsion generated by longer props, shorter props need to be spinning at a higher rate. Hence, multirotors using shorter props may seem to be at a disadvantage when it comes to propulsion until you consider the bigger picture — both short and long props have their advantages and disadvantages.

Drones with longer props tend to have longer hover times (thanks to higher inertia in the props which help reduce power consumption) and higher top speeds but suffer from a lower rate of acceleration and a lack of responsiveness and agility. Drones with shorter props, as you would have guessed by now, have quite the opposite characteristics — shorter hover times, lower top speeds and better acceleration and agility in the air.

Without going into too much detail with the dynamics of multirotor design, I will just focus on the DM007’s rather unique propeller and motor configuration.

The DM007’s short propellers give it a very agile, precise and zippy feel in the air. Shorter propellers accelerate a lot faster than longer ones due to lower inertia, so the DM007 is capable of gaining speed very quickly, making quick turns and maneuvers a lot of fun. Aerial flips also feel very precise and “locked-in” since the DM007 recovers very quickly from each flip.

Although the DM007 comes with a WiFi FPV camera, I really see no point in flying it for taking pictures or videos from the air. This is one toy drone I’d pick up just for the fun of flying.

The downside to having short and fast-spinning propellers is a higher rate of power consumption. Unlike other drones with similar size that typically have single cell batteries, the DM007 comes with a massive 400mAh 2-cell battery to keep it on par with its rivals. Despite having such a huge battery, the drone manages a flight time of about 6-8 minutes which is average for its class.

FPV Camera

The DM007’s belly-mounted camera comes with a built-in WiFi FPV transmitter which means you can view the FPV (First Person View) video feed on your smartphone. This gives the experience of flying on board the drone itself.

Cool as it may seem, the FPV system here does have its flaws — video latency lag is very high due to the use of WiFi instead of 5.8GHz. This latency lag causes FPV video to have a staccato effect and appear like slideshows, especially when there is some distance between the drone and FPV monitor.

Conclusion

With its short propellers and prop guards, the DM007 makes an excellent beginners’ quadcopter, especially for children aged 9 years or older (although the company has an age recommendation of at least 14 years).

If you believe the longer and much larger propellers on popular toy quadacopters such as the Syma X5SW are anything to worry about, then you really have a point. Longer and larger propellers obviously pose a bigger threat, having the potential to cause some serious injuries which is why the DM007, with its short and well-shielded propellers, is an excellent choice for parents looking to buy a toy quadcopter for their children.

Even for adults, the DM007 is an excellent toy drone to fly around just for the fun of flying. It is highly responsive and precise in the air compared to other toy quadcopters that come with longer propellers.

The DM007, however, does have its weaknesses. For one, the battery compartment is a bit tight, fidgety and hard to access. The LED lights, although they appear sophisticated, do very little in helping with orientation since both front and rear LED lights are blue in color. Its landing legs tend to come off very easily during hard landings as well.

Despite these minor flaws, the DM007 is still overall a great toy quadcopter for beginners, particularly for children mature enough to handle RC toys.

Not too long ago, in a comparison review, we predicted that newcomer XIRO has what it takes to beat DJI in their own game.

More recently at CES 2016, they’ve proven just that — by releasing a new consumer aerial photography drone featuring obstacle avoidance.

While XIRO may not be the first to introduce such a feature in a consumer drone (Yuneec’s latest Typhoon H hexacopter also sports obstacle avoidance), its latest Xplorer 2 is probably the first drone in the same class as the Phantom 3 to boast having such a feature. Although there are rumors that the upcoming Phantom 4 will come with obstacle avoidance, DJI currently does not have any consumer drone on the market with such a feature.

Like its predecessor, the XIRO Xplorer 2 continues the same aesthetic direction featuring sharp lines and angles with a sleek black finish, albeit in a more complex fashion. The Xplorer 2 actually looks more like a stealth version of the 3DR Solo with a small periscope-like obstacle sensor at its top and does away with the cleaner x-shaped body that its predecessor was well-known for.

As the drone flies, the Xplorer 2’s obstacle sensor (which appears to be a LiDAR laser rangefinder) constantly rotates at a rate of 50 turns per second to spot obstacles such as walls or trees. Once the sensor detects an obstacle, it prevents the drone from flying into it. The Xplorer 2 will then stay put in the air and no amount of pilot input will allow it to come any closer to the detected obstacle. XIRO claims the Xplorer 2 has an anti-collision radius of about 6 meters.

We are not sure why XIRO decided to use such a complicated system instead of one that makes use of non-moving parts — as seen in the Typhoon H with its ultrasonic sensors. Having a LiDAR scanner rotate at high speed all the time will surely result in long-term mechanical wear and tear and subsequent failure. Perhaps LiDAR scanners are more accurate than ultrasonic sensors.

Besides obstacle avoidance, the Xplorer 2 has all the staple features that puts it on par with other drones in its class. It also features the same modular design seen in its predecessor.

XIRO Xplorer 2 specifications:

• Diagonal Motor Distance: 350mm
• Size: 500 X 500 X 190mm
• Weight (Including Battery): 1400g
• Max. Flight Distance: 1000m
• Max. Flight Time: Approx. 25min
• Battery Capacity: 5300mAh 4S LiPo
• Charging Time: Approx. 1.5hrs
• Camera Gimbal: 3-axis stabilized
• Gimbal Control Accuracy: 0.025 degrees
• Camera: HD Video 4K/30fps~1080P/120fps
• Camera Sensor Dimensions: 1/2.3″
• Camera Max. Resolution: 4000 X 3000
• Camera FOV: 85º

At the heart of the Xplorer 2’s navigation system is a GPS/GLONASS dual-satellite setup which should provide highly accurate positioning outdoors. When flying indoors, where satellite signals are not available, the Xplorer 2 can switch to its ultrasonic sonar to get a position lock.

The Xplorer 2 also features an FPV system that has a range of 1km with video resolution of up to 720P HD. Live video feed can be viewed on a smartphone via the XIRO App.

XIRO is hoping to start shipping the Xplorer 2 in May this year, just in time for the summer holidays. The company has not officially announced any pricing yet but there are rumors circulating around that it is expected to cost about $1500 shipped.

What do you get when you marry a plane and a quadcopter? The answer lies in the hands of production engineering researchers Bart Theys and Stijn Debecker.

According to the Belgian researchers from University of Leuven, they have produced a delivery drone that can rival Google’s Project Wing and Amazon Prime Air. And they name it VertiKUL 2 (after the university’s first prototype VertiKUL designed in 2014 by master’s students Maarten Verbandt, Cyriel Notteboom, and Menno Hochstenbach).

VertiKUL 2 adopts the best features of a quadcopter (ability to take off and land vertically) and normal aircraft (ability to fly long distances at high speed).

We made a combination that uses the flight efficiency of an airplane and combines this with the vertical take-off and landing of a quadcopter or a helicopter,” said lead researcher Bart Theys.

“So we added wings and aerodynamically shaped profile to a quadcopter to make it fly fast and far.”

With the help of four small propellers, VertiKUL 2 takes off and lands vertically. When it reaches cruising altitude, the automatic flight controller tilts the craft forward so that its top effectively becomes its nose. With real-time kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS), it can land with very precise position of ten centimeters and reach its destination quickly, using less energy in the process. Once it reaches its destination, VertiKUL 2 reverts to hovering mode.

VertiKUL 2 specifications:

• 5kg total mass
• 60 to 70km/h cruise flight
• Approx. 25km of range
• Pixhawk flight controller with adapted ArduCopter 3.2.1 firmware
• 1kg of payload possible (20 X 15 X 10cm)

“When we take off it flies like a multicopter and all the lift is generated by the four propellers,” explained Theys. “After take-off we make a transition and we tilt the whole vehicle 45 degrees and after this the wings provide a lot of lift and the propellers do not consume so much energy anymore. When we want to land we just make a transition back to hover and all the lift is provided by the propellers and we can land vertically on a very small spot.”

While the outdoor tests for VertiKUL have been impressive–travel up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) and carry a cargo payload up to one kilogram (2.2 lb)–it struggled in windy conditions which led to the creation of VertiKUL 2.