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From Hollywood Set Designer to Worldwide Drone Guru

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HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKER FLIES DJI TO THE VERY TOP

Just two years ago, Tim Browning was a concept artist designing military aircraft for sci-fi blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The brief from the Directors stated that the aircraft should be ‘multirotored’, so that it closely resembled a Bell Boeing Quad TiltRotor, a U.S. military aircraft designed in 2007.

The other thing it resembled? A drone — four sexy rotors providing incredible stability.

Tim knew a bit about drones. Having already been captivated by a friend’s stunning Phantom 2 footage, he had heard good things and knew how easy they were to operate and fly.

“I figured that it would be useful within film and art departments; for capturing unusual angles to use in illustrations or for location scouting,” says the 42-year-old father of three, “but mostly it was just for fun.”

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Tim has worked in set design and construction within the film industry for nearly 20 years. Honors include concept, art direction credits for Alice in Wonderland, Skyfall, Spectre, The Force Awakens and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII.

In the end, he bought a Phantom 2 ‘for research purposes’. It was love at first sight. He took it to Greece that summer and — apart from “annoying the hell out of my family” — ended up playing with it constantly. He slung a short edit up on YouTube. What followed? The start of a new and entirely unexpected career.

“It was below freezing and we were living in Gers or Yurts alongside a nomadic family out on the steppe,” he recalls of his first trip to Mongolia for BBC’s Earth’s Natural Wonders.

Two young boys were in training for a local horse race and the BBC crew filmed them for a few days leading up to the race.

“The purpose of the drone was to capture the huge expanse of the grasslands and to keep up with the galloping horses,” he says. Weirdly — or coincidentally — Tim’s Phantom at full throttle turned out to be exactly the same speed as the Mongolian horse’s top speed.  [Read more…]

DJI Phantom 4 – Computer Vision – Part 3 of our Review/Rating

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In part one and part two of our first look at the DJI Phantom 4, we explored the improved construction and upgrading of the various assemblies. At first glance it would appear a Phantom 4 is a “perfected” Phantom 3 Pro. However, there is one major new innovation which makes this a revolutionary model- Computer Vision! This feature – and the current and future ramifications – will be explored in this post.

Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Obstacle Avoidance – what does it all mean? [Read more…]

Yuneec Typhoon H Hexacopter – First Look and Rating

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Yuneec Typhoon H Hexacopter Camera Drone – Droneflyers Review and Rating
Prelude – If you are a drone newbie or beginner and/or technically challenged we would caution you that this model – and, in fact, most delicate and complex camera drones over $1,000, are not for your first attempts at flying. The exception would be if you have a local hobby shop or dealer who is willing to do setups, troubleshooting and education. Most beginners should consult our series of articles and recommendations and start with the basics.
Introduction

The Yuneec Typhoon H created excitement at the 2016 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. Much of the buzz was about the Intel Realsense obstacle avoidance system slated to be included on the H. However, Yuneec was late in delivering Realsense (they are just starting to sell the Pro models now – August, 2016) and instead released the Typhoon H at a lower price of $1299 (about $1125 discounted on Amazon) without the Realsense module. Although they promised an easy upgrade, they are not currently offering this…the full Realsense H “Pro”  (about $1899+) is currently the only way to get the full OA (Obstacle Avoidance) system.

Our Typhoon is the standard model which also comes with a “Wizard” controller – a hand held wand that can substitute for the Remote controller in certain situations.

Some customers have been confused by Yuneec shipping the H without the RealSense. There is a so-called “obstacle avoidance” front facing sonar built into even the base model but it is not very useful (low range, only front..not on aircraft bottom, not “vision” but sound, etc.).

To clear up this matter, here are the three Yuneec H models and approx. prices as well as features.

  1. Base model – this is the basic hexacopter unit sold from launch until beginning of August, 2016. It comes with a single battery and no Wizard wand. Current “street price” is approx. $1100.
  2. Base model with Wizard – this is the same as #1 but includes the Wizard wand. Current “street price” is approx. $1180.
  3. YUNEEC Typhoon H PRO Hexacopter with Intel RealSense and Backpack- this is currently selling for approx. $1899.

The H is a consumer level camera done which features a 4K camera capable of video or still pictures and a large remote controller with a built-in 7″ screen. The OS (screen) runs on Android. In terms of other offerings in the same segment, here are the current popular choices:

  1. DJI Phantom 3 4K – $599
  2. DJI Phantom 3 Pro – $899
  3. Autel X-Star – $699
  4. DJI Phantom 4 – $1250 (street)

Only #4 above has true “computer vision and obstacle avoidance”, and so can be compared to the H Pro. All units have 4K cameras. At the end of our review we will offer specs, suggestions and opinion on the pros and cons of the various units.

The H is marketed as having three main selling points: [Read more…]

DJI Phantom 4 – First Flights and Rating – Part 2

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Note – Part 1 of this review is at this link.

Part 3 of this review is here

DJI Phantom 4 – First Flights and Rating – Part 2 – Camera, Gimbal and Propulsion System Improvements and Differences over Phantom 3 and earlier models.

Thousands of articles and videos have detailed the features and workings of the Phantom 3 series of Camera Drones. Rather than repeat these details, we will note the improvements in the Phantom 4.

As we often note, the Phantoms are “Flying Cameras”…and so improvements over the existing models should be in the imaging (camera) and flight systems. The Phantom 4 features a completely redesigned Gimbal and camera body – both of which are designed to provide more stability and a better image quality.

Phantom 3 (L) and Phantom 4 (R) Gimbals

Phantom 3 (L) and Phantom 4 (R) Gimbals

The Phantom 3 had the gimbal and the associated electronics mounted below the main body of the quadcopter. The pictures above (L) show that the camera is held in place on one side only – the left when looking at the Phantom from the front. A small metal arm then connects the gimbal/camera assembly to the external gimbal electronics.

The Phantom 4 features a refined design where the gimbal holds the camera on both sides – see the lower right P4 picture above. The gimbal electronics have been moved to inside the Phantom body and are connected by much more robust shaft.

The Phantom 4 camera also has an improved lens. [Read more…]

Counting Drones – How many? Which ones?

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As a “thought experiment” today I wondered how many camera drones have been sold worldwide in the last 3+ years.  I quickly put fingers to keyboard and made some wild guesses which turned out as follows.

The time frame for these sales is 2014 onward – being as that was arguably the start of the “consumer camera drone” market. I also excluded models which were sold without a camera and/or gimbal (Phantom 1, Blade 350QX, etc.). Only units under $2K are listed.

My “back of the envelope” results look like this:

Guestimates on Consumer Camera Drones

Guestimates on Consumer Camera Drones

These numbers line up fairly well with other estimates. Highlight of the data:

  1. 2.5 BILLION dollars at retail of consumer camera drones have been sold.
  2. DJI may have sold 80% of the DOLLAR amount – at retail.
  3. Yuneec is the ONLY other company with more than 5% of the sales volumes at retail dollars.

[Read more…]

DJI Phantom 4 – First Flights and Rating – Part 1

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As of mid-2016 the DJI Phantom 4 is the flagship product in the “consumer level” quadcopters made by DJI, the largest manufacturer of multirotors in the world. We purchased ours direct from DJI along with an extra battery. They are also available through Amazon, BestBuy and various local and online dealers. Following our own advice, we waited 90+ days after the initial release to purchase. This waiting period allows for the makers to update various parts of the system (usually software called “firmware”).

Basic Setup

The Phantom 4 is packaged well and rough transit (shipping) should not harm it. An integrated two piece foam assembly – which serves as an everyday storage and carrying case – is included. This is a nice touch as the buyer does not have to immediately purchase an additional case. Those who do a lot of travel or hiking, may want to consider one of the many backpacks, soft or hard cases available.

Foam Case is included

Foam Case is included

The Phantom 4 is sold fully assembled and RTF (ready to fly). Included in the box are:
1. The Phantom 4 body with battery and SD card.
2. The Remote (R/C TX) which appears almost identical to the Phantom 3 Pro and Inspire remotes. The Remote features a mount which holds your choice of smartphone or tablet – which powers the DJI Go software app.
3. Battery charger with connections for the battery and for the remote.
4. Propellers (8) – as well as a USB Cord and USB adapter
5. Basic documentation – which contains links to more detailed videos and manual.

I was pleased with the simplicity of the packaging and setup – it can be offputting to see countless small plastic bags of various tools, adapters and accessories when unpacking some drones…not so with the Phantom 4.

From my former experience, I knew that the first order of business was to charge up the batteries. This takes approx. an hour and provides a good break for the new owner to glance over the documentation, install the propellers.  [Read more…]

How Video and Photography Drones Work

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How Video and Photography Drones Work
For Beginners and those who want to know the basics behind these miracle machines.

Drones are in the news almost daily with millions being sold and flown. However, many are not familiar with the mechanics of how they work. This article will provide a basic explanation of the systems that keep a modern Camera Drone flying.

Is it Magic?

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke

For our more logical minds, it may help to rename magic to “sensor fusion” which is defined as:
“combining of sensory data or data derived from disparate sources such that the resulting information has less uncertainty than would be possible when these sources were used individually.”

Some fancy words…for sure! An example might help. Most modern automobiles have anti-lock brakes which use various sensors and computers to acheive a better result than a human driver would. Based on the slippage of the tires, the steering angle and other such inputs, the anti-lock systems makes decisions which help your car stay on the road. It is only the combination of these sensors (sensor fusion) and the proper programming which makes the system function as intended.

Modern camera quadcopters, such as the Phantom 3 or Phantom 4 series, need to have control of multiple systems:

The flying machine itself
The camera/gimbal combination
Radio Control between the ground and the drone.

Keeping the drone AND the camera steady and under control results in the desired end – butter smooth video and stunning photographs.

Multirotor Flight Control Sensors and Instruments [Read more…]

5 Reasons Why DJI GO Only Scratches the Surface of your DJI Drone Potential

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By: Kevin Mukai – http://www.nvdrones.com

DJI GO is the primary application that many DJI pilots use to fly their drone. However, while DJI GO is great for most users, it often does not sufficiently satisfy the many tastes diverse pilots around the world yearn for.

Thanks to DJI’s SDK (Software or Solutions Development Kit), there are now other applications that DJI pilots can easily install on their mobile device for a completely different (and many times, superior) flying experience. It’s not uncommon to hear pilots say that they don’t trust 3rd-party applications – for the record, I don’t blame them. Your drone is a big investment and you don’t want to risk anything happening.

With that said, the top 3rd-party DJI apps have thousands of users and substantial flying hours and testing under their belts. I’ve had conversations with many pilots who trust these 3rd-party apps more than they trust DJI GO because of better connectivity, control, and other factors that I’ll outline below.

Without further ado, here are 5 reasons why DJI GO only scratches the surface of your DJI drone’s potential. [Read more…]

Litchi – An App to extend DJI Phantom and Inspire Capabilities

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Large numbers of Drones = Potential for more App sales.

The popularity of the newest DJI models has attracted the interest of App Developers. DJI provides them with a full set of tools called an SDK (Solutions Development Kit) which allows the creation of functions over and above what DJI provides. Litchi is a $20 App which provides a number of “Ground Station” (waypoint) and POI (point of interest) options which are unavailable in the stock DJI Go App.
Litchi is probably the most popular DJI 3rd party app (here is the link), however a number of other apps exist which may fit your needs. A list of them, thanks to RCG member Aviz, is in this forum thread which discusses these apps. A PDF of this list can be downloaded here.

The following is a beginners guide to Litchi along with cautions, warnings and basic tips for getting started.

Litchi Functions

Litchi has a number of modes including: [Read more…]

Worldwide Consumer Camera Drone Sales Numbers for 2015 and 2016

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Worldwide Consumer Camera Drone Sales Numbers for 2015 and 2016

As yet another exercise in Rules of Thumb (earlier US guess here), following are some guesses as to the number of consumer camera drones sold. This particular doc will look at unit numbers as opposed to dollars.

Criteria

Worldwide
GPS enabled Multirotors
Camera(s) and gimbal or equivalent included or expected to be used (GoPro gimbal, etc.)
Price range of $400 – $1500 retail
Capable of at least minimal autonomous flight (RTH, etc.)
SOLD units – not production, but actual retail sales to the consumer.

Assumptions

DJI has released various estimates for their sales in 2014 and 2015 which provide a relatively solid number to start with. Parrot has also hinted at revenue, although this could include large numbers of toy models. Amazon, the largest seller of consumer drones, has various way to determine both sales range and relative numbers – by comparing with other drones and, more importantly, other products (GoPro cameras, etc.) where the sales ranges are well established.
[Read more…]