Hello, I'm thinking of buying a drone for my specific application. For this I need to send a drone high into a tree, and then "place" some heavy equipment there. This equipment is about 5kg in weight. So I am looking for a drone that can lift at least 5kg, up to a height of 30 meters, and can then move around for at least another 10 meters (though of course the more I can do on one battery the happier I am). And preferably it has some extension mechanism so I can add a "hook" to it to hold the equipment and drop/place it. Ow and of course it needs to be strong enough to move through minor wood, withstanding a small bumps (I need to move it around directly next to the base of the tree). Basically a STRONG drone. How do I google for that, and/or can anyone recommend a (not expensive) one? Googling shows me all kinds of drones that are "have amazing camera, can do many tricks and fly far". But those are all qualities I am not looking for.
Your looking for a custom built drone, sorry to say the market place has not come up with one built for what you want yet. You will probably need a octo-copter, one that has 8 motors and propellers. Propellers will be a minimum of 12 X 6 like these http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=534_538_552&products_id=2792 Four of each of these motors to power this would be http://www.hacker-motor-shop.com/e-vendo.php?shop=hacker_e&SessionId=&a=article&ProdNr=19716700&t=6547&c=6550&p=6550 and http://www.hacker-motor-shop.com/e-vendo.php?shop=hacker_e&SessionId=&a=article&ProdNr=19716750&t=6547&c=6550&p=6550 ESC's will be 8 of these http://www.hacker-motor-shop.com/e-vendo.php?shop=hacker_e&SessionId=&a=article&ProdNr=19714040&t=6547&c=6551&p=6551 Flight controller either the 3D Robotics APM 2.6 or Pixhawk https://store.3drobotics.com/products/apm-2-6-kit-1 and https://store.3drobotics.com/products/3dr-pixhawk You will need at least a 6 channel radio system, but more channels are better for future expansion, go with something like http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdId=SPM6630 or http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdId=SPM7800. Really your going to need a lot more, probably 8 channels for everything to work right. Airframe, go with a kit like http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__77193__Tarot_X8_Heavy_Lift_Octocopter_Frame_TL8X000.html or http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__54327__Tarot_IRON_MAN_T1000_Octo_Copter_Carbon_Fiber_Frame_KIT_TL100B01.html Battery, how long do you intend to stay in flight.......but at a guess your going to need a very large capacity and one that can handle high current loads...this alone is a $300 expense for one http://www.maxamps.com/Lipo-11000-148-Pack.htm But I think your going to need 2 in parallel just to power the UAV under full loading. As to the rest, well your going to have to come up with a design for holding and releasing your payload. You will have to make prop guards / cages. Most of all your going to have to learn to fly a multi-rotor aircraft more or less "in your sleep"......what you intend to do takes very advanced flying skills. Sorry, but what you want is not inexpensive, and a lot of the parts are going to be custom made. As a guess your going to have a couple of thousand dollars just in your payload system (just to have the parts machined after they are designed). If I was bidding your build I would quote you close to $10,000 for the complete system, not an advertisement, I am giving you a price to compare by.
Uh what makes such a build so expensive? Cause a heavy camera is also about 5kg in weight. And it only needs to fly about 10 mins. (It really needs to bring something up and let go, so that I don't have to go into the trees myself). Also: why do I have to fly it myself, it's a drone right? In the past I've made already software to map 3d objects using 2 cameras.. So I could easily make a 3d map of the trees, isn't it possible to let the drone fly itself just given to coordinates?
5kg is heavy lifting, you need more motors, bigger propellers, larger airframe. Add in the hold and release mechanism that is going to be a custom made item. Why do you have to fly yourself? ........your kidding right, unless you can account for every possible variation in wind, weather, tree growth, birds, etc......and GPS is only so accurate, most within plus / minus a yard / meter. Then what is telling the UAV when to release its payload.....would be a bad thing to have it think it was in the right area but only drop a 5kg weight on top of your car....or you. Based on that one question I would not bid your project, I feel you do not have knowledge to use a UAV system safely.
Uh I study aerospace engineering. - Actually in the field of systems and control, doing a theoretical research on swarm drones right this moment, where a swarm moves as a whole given coordinates. (and each non central drone it itself only has a radar to prevent collisions/understanding where it needs to go) . I have all theoretical knowledge of drones that is possible - I just don't know what's on the market and what is only research level. To be frank: it shouldn't be based on true GPS coordinates, rather it should be just offsets, using gyroscopes and accellerometers to account for variations. But I guess software has not evolved for consumers that direction yet. I actually judged the releasing mechanism (electromagnet) + species itself at 5kg.. I could possibly lower this also to roughly 2-3kg.. (the spraying bomb is only 1kg in itself). Thanks for the suggestions btw, I'm activelly looking into the parts right now didn't consider making one myself.
If you do some googling on "heavy lift drones" you will probably come up with numerous discussions. ICE is right in that it's generally either a custom situation or a DIY (same thing, really). As you know thinking is always a lot easier than doing - especially when it comes to flight! Applications like you mention are probably a few years away (commercially), yet it seems so obvious that drones will be good at such maneuvers. I even thought that hedge clipping may eventually be a job for UAV's. But perfection of lidar (price and performance) as well as other technologies is needed. I am investing in various companies though Drone.vc - some of them foresee these types of applications. Do you know Chris Amato? He is a friend of the family and also works on the swarming thing - at MIT. http://people.csail.mit.edu/camato/
That is a problem with UAV's at this time, too many uses but not enough solutions. Our biggest customer has most of the electronics they need us to incorporate into the UAV's we build for them, none of which is available to the general public. These UAV's can be launched in the field by field personal, yet controlled by someone else on the other side of the world or even "pre-programmed" to fly a mission. Other "civilian" customers have to make due with what I can supply them with from the public market place. Then I have to deal with the FAA on everything I build and test now...........hopefully some of the proposed rules will be changed / omitted to make this easier and less expensive. To me a hobbyist UAV should not have to be tested under the current rules just because I have some commercial customers. Only thing I can tell you, on your project do not build your UAV for commercial applications (don't make money from it) keep it a hobby / personal use aircraft.......you don't want to have to deal with the FAA. Also make sure your local officials have no issues with what your doing, some areas have strict UAV laws already in place. A simple phone call should do, or even a Google search. On your electromagnet idea, watch the current draw....that will be a big factor in the battery size. I would go with a servo operated claw or quick release hook. If you do need help let us know too, I / We will do all we can.
