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JSK Lab/University of Tokyo A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo’s JSK Lab built a flying drone that can twist and change its shape in midair. The researchers believe their drone could be used to navigate small spaces and interact with different objects, using its changing shapes to pick up and manipulate all kinds of different things. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below The drone is called “Dual-rotor embedded multilink Robot with the Ability of multi-deGree-of-freedom aerial transformatiON,” or DRAGON for short. Fortunately, the drone’s designers are better at robotics than they are at acronyms. [embedded content] The DRAGON drone is made up of a handful of separate sections, and each section has its own independently-controlled propellers. Even though the sections are attached to each other, this allows each section to move on its own. Semi-autonomous software decides what shape the drone will take and how each section will move to reach that shape. Currently, the prototype has four sections, but the researchers plan to build a version with twelve sections soon. Such a robot would be able to pick up very large objects of all kinds of shapes, plus fit through very small openings despite its size. It will be a while until such a drone starts showing up for work, but with such versatility it will no doubt find some way to be useful. Source: IEEE Spectrum Powered by WPeMatico The post ‘Dragon’ Drone Can Twist and Change Shape in Midair appeared first on PC Store Near Me. via Technology Latest News – PC Store Near Me https://ift.tt/2tUdanj Vivitar recently released its 360 Skeye View Follow Me Drone, a quadcopter sporting a built-in 360 degree camera and some nifty GPS features. I spent a few weeks putting a review unit through the paces. Turns out, Vivitar makes a quality product, but it could use a bit of help in the app department. Having never piloted one of the company’s quadcopters before, I was eager to try my first. And upon unboxing the drone I was immediately impressed. Vivitar packs everything you need in the box, down to a screwdriver for the battery compartment on the remote.
But what immediately leaped out at me was the drone itself. Both it and the remote control are coated in soft-touch plastic and it makes a nice impression. The device feels solid and well-built, and snapping on the camera and prop guards is a cinch. If you’ve flown similar devices before, chances are you’ll be up and flying within fifteen minutes (barring battery charging, which took a couple of hours). The Follow Me Drone’s included 16.1 megapixel camera shoots at 1080p in normal, 360, and VR modes. It manages to capture decent images and video, despite suffering from a bit of shake. This isn’t a top-of-the-line device featuring an expensive gimbal or advanced vibration dampening system, but Vivitar manages to squeeze some performance out it anyway. As far as the drone’s specs go, it’s a medium-sized quadcopter at 40 cm (16 in) across, and it’s packed with dual GPS and WiFi functionality. The remote is standard fare and features all the normal functionality you’d expect. If you’ve flown a quadcopter before you’ll be right at home with the manual controls. And if you haven’t, the remote has one-touch takeoff and landing. [embedded content] It also has several advanced features that make it a lot of fun to play with. First up is the Follow Me mode that it was named after. As advertised, it works quite well. When placed in this mode the drone will maintain a distance of about 20 meters from you and the remote control. It’s a pretty cool feature that almost doubles as a party trick if you’re around someone whose never seen it before. [embedded content] The drone has a Return Home feature that’ll send it back to the location it took off with the push of a button, or in the event it gets out of range – which is limited to 300 meters (1000 ft). It also boasts auto hover, headless mode, and some pretty good looks. Aesthetically, it’s pretty easy on the eyes. I’m not big on black tech devices, but the splashes of bright orange make it a bit easier to deal with. I appreciate that it has prop guards and detachable landing rails, and overall I felt the device was solid and sturdy. However, if there’s one area where the Vivitar drone doesn’t live up to expectations, it’s the app. It’s unclear whether Vivitar made the app or a third party, but what I’m sure of is that it’s mediocre at best. Aside from dropping connection to the drone, freezing up, and generally feeling slow and glitchy, it also lacks some pretty basic functionality. I was unable to figure out how to share my videos from the app, at all – though images did show up in my phone’s gallery. And there’s very few camera options built in. Worse, it displays a ridiculous amount of information, but none of it was immediately useful while I was trying to use the app for the main reason I needed it: to control the device’s camera. It’s worth pointing out that most drone apps I’ve used suck, only a handful of companies seem to take into account the actual user experience. Rant aside, there’s plenty to love about the Follow Me Drone. The bells and whistles work well, and despite my disappointment in the app I still enjoyed the 360 camera.
But the thrill of flying a drone is always the star of the show for me, and this one didn’t let me down. I was impressed by how smoothly the quad reacted to the remote. Usually with drones in this price range I expect a jerky experience with a lot of overcompensation at first. But right after the initial calibration process my review unit was a breeze to control. Once I had it trimmed and auto-hovering I was able to really appreciate the engineering behind the drone. It’s not as affected by the wind as many smaller drones, and it’s not as loud as you might expect for a quad with enough oomph to hold itself still. I’d still put it in the ‘average’ category as far as noise goes, however. I was able to fly for about 15 minutes before I got a low battery, which puts the Follow Me Drone towards the middle of the pack as far as flight time goes. High-end drones tend to last a bit longer in the sky – but you’re also going to pay a lot more for one. Overall, I’d suggest Vivitar’s newest offering to anyone looking to get into drone photography or filming at the entry-level. The included 360 camera would be perfect for capturing concerts, sports, or other events with large crowds or lots of action. The app’s a letdown, but it still gets the job done. The Vivitar 360 Skeye View Follow Me Drone is available for $179.00 online or at local Walmart stores. Sometimes we publish paid reviews, but we always mention it when we do. This isn’t one of them. Read next: Powered by WPeMatico The post Review: Vivitar’s Follow Me Drone is a refined quadcopter with a sweet 360 camera appeared first on PC Store Near Me. via Technology Latest News – PC Store Near Me https://ift.tt/2KAendQ Researchers at the University of Tokyo’s JSK Lab have developed a “dragon drone,” made up of several small drones and capable of transforming on the fly, as reported by IEEE. Not only can the drone change into different shapes, like a square or curved line, it can also autonomously decide what shape it needs to change into depending on the space it requires to navigate. The name of the drone is actually an acronym, standing for “Dual-rotor embedded multilink Robot with the Ability of multi-deGree-of-freedom aerial transformatiON,” or DRAGON for short. Its design was modeled off of traditional dragon kites, where the tail is made up of a series of smaller, interlinked kites. The small drones are each powered by a pair of ducted fans that can be adjusted to vector thrust in almost any direction. The whole thing is powered by an Intel Euclid dev kit and has a battery pack along the spine that provides up to three minutes of flight time. This particular version of the DRAGON drone in the video has four modules and is shown rearranging itself into a square, as well as unraveling to move upward through a small opening. Although the obvious application for this type of drone is to navigate small spaces, the team behind it sees a much bigger application. Eventually, the DRAGON drone could have up to 12 modules and JSK says they see it operating like a flying arm — interacting, moving, and manipulating objects, or even picking up things by using the two end drones like a pincer. As it stands, the actual use cases for this type of drone are vague, but the tech is certainly exciting. It could find a place in industrial use (navigating ducts, for example), or perhaps within search and rescue scenarios. Moju Zhao, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, told Digital Trends that the company isn’t done yet. “We will [next] move forward to design a ‘multi-legged’ model with our basic link module. Then the robot can not only fly, but also walk on the ground. This can benefit us in terms of the energy efficiency,” he said. “Such autonomous decision about locomotion according to the environment is very interesting research. Our ultimate dream is to achieve the flying humanoid, like an unmanned Iron Man.” Powered by WPeMatico The post This flying ‘dragon’ drone can change shape in midair appeared first on PC Store Near Me. via Technology Latest News – PC Store Near Me https://ift.tt/2tM8kYY Drones have become a hot trend in both photography and videography. In fact, they’ve practically become standard production equipment for professional photographers and filmmakers. Still, there are many drone users who invest in these expensive gadgets just for recreational purposes. And if you’re one of those people who are hoping to get in on this cool new hobby, or possibly turn drone flying into a lucrative career, this article is for you. Below, we’ll talk about the first few things you’ll need to learn about drones, as well as how they are generally operated. Basic Drone Controller FunctionsDrones are generally operated with a remote controller or a transmitter. This handy device somewhat resembles gaming or toy remote controllers with buttons and joysticks that serve various functions. More professional models can be quite overwhelming and may take more time for a user to utilize its full functionality. Its left and right sticks, however, generally operate the same way across different models. These are used for controlling majority of the drone’s maneuvers, so it’s important for users to understand how to make the most out of these basic controls. LEFT STICK: Yaw & ThrottleThe left stick controls two aspects: the yaw (rotation) and throttle (altitude). YawPushing the left stick along the x-axis (left and right) triggers the drone’s rotation clockwise or counterclockwise. This helps the user position the drone to face other directions without making the drone leave its current spot. ThrottlePushing the left stick along the y-axis (up and down) changes the drone’s altitude accordingly. Users often control the throttle when flying, usually in conjunction with the functions of the right stick, so it’s important to get comfortable with this particular function. RIGHT STICK: Roll & PitchThe right stick controls actual movements of the drone along the x-axis: the roll (side to side) and the pitch (forward and backward). RollPushing the right stick along the x-axis (left and right) makes the quadcopter fly and “roll” along the left and right sides. This is particularly helpful for avoiding trees and other obstacles without changing the drone’s altitude or position on the y-axis. PitchPushing the right stick along the y-axis (up and down) moves the drone forward and backward accordingly. It may seem incredibly easy, but using this with the throttle and with the drone facing you instead of the other way around makes it more challenging, so it’s necessary to spend time on practice. Important Things to Remember Before FlyingSecure a Drone Pilot LicenseEvery drone operator who intends to fly for commercial purposes is required to obtain a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Remote Pilot Certificate before attempting to fly a drone. Interested pilots aged 16 and above will have to pass a test, which currently costs $150 for the initial exam, at any FAA-accredited Knowledge Testing Center. After passing the test, the pilot will have to complete the FAA Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application (IACRA) for the pilot certificate. In case you fail the test, you can retake it after 2 weeks. If you plan on strictly being a recreational drone user, you don’t necessarily need to get this license. It’s not listed as a requirement under the FAA’s Special Rule for Model Aircraft (Public Law 112-95 Section 336), which restricts you to recreational use and only obligates you to register your drone with the FAA, follow a specific set of safety guidelines, fly your drone within your visual line-of-sight, and adhere to a few other rules. Register Your DroneThe next important thing to remember is to register your remote-controlled aircraft—any sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system) weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds—with the FAA and mark it with a registration number. This helps make owners accountable, in case they end up damaging power lines or causing any kind of accident with their aircraft. Registering drones with the FAA is now as easy as creating an account on their website, although you can choose to register by paper as well. It will cost you a minimal fee, but registering now will cover the next three (3) years. Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions on how to register your drone with the FAA: [embedded content] Get to Know the Rules and RegulationsFor everyone’s safety, including your own, it’s important that you abide by the laws set for recreational drones. Here are the basic rules that you’ll need to follow every time you fly your drone for fun.
Download “No Fly” AppsAs you may already know, there are areas in every state where drones are not allowed to fly. These are called “no fly” zones, and breaking the rules could get you fined. On top of that, there’s also the weather to be worried about. Fortunately, there are apps that you can download in order to find and watch out for these “no fly” zones. You can easily search for lists of trusted apps for the job or you can directly check out the following:
Instead of asking yourself or other people if you can fly your drone in a particular area, you can find the answers right on your mobile device. Read the Instruction ManualOne step you absolutely should never overlook is to read the instruction manual. From your drone’s physical parts down to its flight features, familiarize yourself with all that you need to know to minimize problems and inconveniences later on. Step-by-Step Instructions for Flying a DroneAfter acquainting and familiarizing yourself with your drone and its basic commands, it’s time for you to put them to good use by actually flying the drone. Here’s a step-by-step guide that you can follow for a fun—and safe—drone flying experience that will help lead you to successful drone photography. 1. Charge the batteryIt goes without saying that you’ll need a fully charged battery in order to enjoy undisturbed flights. Make sure that you use only the battery and charger that came with your drone. Should you wish to bring backup batteries, ensure their compatibility before using them with your drone. 2. Secure an open area for practiceIf you already have a drone or are at least thinking of purchasing your own, you probably already have a place in mind for practice. It can be any open outdoor area, as long as it’s safe and free from obstructions so you don’t end up crashing the drone into a tree, wall, or possibly even other people. Also, make sure that the place permits the usage of drones so as not to break any laws. 3. Position the droneFirst and foremost, find a good takeoff spot. Make sure the drone is positioned according to the instruction manual—ideally in front of you and on a flat surface, with you and the drone facing the same direction. Do this before every flight and don’t attempt to do otherwise unless you’ve gained enough confidence and experience in flying your drone. 4. Connect the transmitter to the droneThere’s one more thing that you’ll need to remember before takeoff: sequencing. Here, we start with the steps that will require practice. Right before you switch on the transmitter, push the throttle way down. Turn the transmitter on, and then connect the drone’s battery. This is a very important sequence that you’ll have to follow both before taking off and after landing. After your flying session, follow the steps in reverse order: disconnect your drone’s battery and then turn off the transmitter.
5. Practice takeoff and landingAfter following the previous steps for preparation before takeoff, you may slowly push the throttle (left stick) upwards and watch the drone lift off. Keep it in place without moving forward or to the sides with the help of the roll and pitch commands (right stick). Once you’ve successfully launched the drone a few feet above ground, try to land it as smoothly as you can. Keep it steady and slowly push the throttle (left stick) down this time until it reaches the same spot on the ground. 6. Practice hoveringThe next thing you’ll be practicing is hovering. Lift off (step 5) a few feet above ground and hold the drone as steadily as you can. It will seem pretty tedious for first-timers as it requires concentration, but practicing this will help improve your flying skills (especially at the start and end of your flying sessions) and keep your drone safe. Focus on mastering these basic maneuvers (take off, balancing, and landing) first as it will help you have an easier time executing more complicated flying techniques later on. 7. Practice rotatingAnother important maneuver you’ll need to be comfortable with is the rotation of the drone using the left stick’s yaw control. Now launch the drone, hover, and then slowly push the left stick right or left until the drone rotates to face you. Many find it difficult at first since you’ll have to pay close attention to the drone’s orientation, particularly where its front and back are, but experience definitely makes it easier. 8. Imagine being the pilotTo aid you in flying the drone no matter where it’s facing, create a mental image of you being inside the drone and flying it. This is how experienced professionals stay on course no matter how much the drone spins and turns, and helps them envision how they should fly the drone to achieve winning aerial photographs. If you still don’t get it on your fifth try, don’t fret. Many don’t get it even on their tenth. What’s important is that you are slowly (but surely!) becoming more used to controlling how the drone behaves. 9. Get used to the controlsWe’ve explained the basic controls on your transmitter, but surely this isn’t enough. Eventually, you’ll need to get used to your controller until you no longer have to look down on it every few seconds. Similar to playing with a video game controller, you’ll need to practice until you can “forget” about your controller and focus on that mental image of you being the pilot. This way, you can execute different maneuvers as easily as you can move your limbs, and focus on achieving well-composed high-resolution aerial imagery. To gain a better understanding of how your quadcopter is able to move in specific directions, the graph below shows how the propellers behave during each movement. 10. Perform a rundown of the controlsNow that you’ve learned all of the basic controls and maneuvers, it’s time to combine all of your acquired knowledge and experience into one session. This is also where you’ll finally get to use the right stick to actually move the quadcopter. Here are a few sample controls and movements that you can try out once the drone is in the air:
For a demonstration of the many flight exercises you can perform to improve your drone flying skills, check out this informative video featuring Dirk Dallas on AdoramaTV: [embedded content] 11. Keep the drone closeAt this point, it’s normal for any beginner to get excited about putting their new skills into practice. While you’re at it, just make sure to keep the drone close enough (and within sight). You also need to know your drone’s limits, particularly the end of its transmission range, as you don’t want the controller to lose communication with the aircraft. Some advanced drones are capable of coming back and landing on its own when they get out of range, but there’s no assurance that the drone will be able to keep itself safe from obstacles during auto-landing. The safest way is to really keep it close enough for you to be able to make out the drone’s orientation in reference to your position. 12. Take care of your droneIt goes without saying that you should take good care of your drone. Aside from being careful when taking off and landing, make sure you keep the drone away from dangerous obstacles and that you have enough battery before landing. Also, remember to clean it after every use. Follow all instructions from the manufacturer, especially when it comes to battery power management. AdoramaAdorama Learning Center is the content destination for photographers, filmmakers, audio creatives and all things electronic. Check out our up-to-date editorial features on all the latest gear, how-to’s and interviews with today’s most relevant industry insiders. Powered by WPeMatico The post How to Fly a Drone: A Beginner’s Guide appeared first on PC Store Near Me. via Technology Latest News – PC Store Near Me https://ift.tt/2lJGvgD |
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December 2019
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