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Video Drone for awesome filming!

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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
Hey Newschoolers!

Recently, I have done alot of research around the concept of a video drone that can follow skiers on big jumps, rails and on the big mountian and film followcams from whatever angle you choose automatically.

So far we are envisioning a smart quadcopter that through the use of control theory alghorithms will follow you from whatever height and distance you set.

This is an illustration:
Click for larger image

Is this something that sounds interesting?
I am looking for feedback on how you envision a product like this, and how it can be used when you are out skiing.


Jun 21 2013 4:40AM
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HWW
Posts: 3084 - Karma: 3,436
That sounds like a pretty good idea but have you thought about what would happen if you ski through trees? You would either need to always avoid skiing through trees, or have the drone up so high that you don't risk it hitting any. I'm sure it has potential though.
Jun 21 2013 7:03AM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,313
The follow-up to the Uair R10 will do exactly that.
Jun 21 2013 7:03AM
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Mag
Posts: 8155 - Karma: 14,809
Wifi instead of GPS? Why...
Jun 21 2013 8:31AM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 25,313
The heli itself already has GPS but using a phone's wifi for tracking means that people wouldn't have to purchase an expensive tracking unit and can just rely on the phone they already have.
Jun 21 2013 9:05AM
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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
Thanks for the feedback!

Looks like the R10 you linked currently requires the user to use a remote control. What I am thinking about is leave the radio remote control out completely, and use some sort of device to give it commands like circle around me. Wifi is not the best way since it has a very limited range. The wifi signal will propably just tell the drone how close the person is, but not where the person is in relationship to the drone.

GPS is the best technology to use for real time tracking of a person in my opinion.

Im thinking of a bit more powerful drone than the R10, which makes it easier to regulate in windy conditions etc.
Jun 21 2013 11:47AM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
wow this is like exactly what i want to do for my senior design project. in the grand scheme of things, i was thinking you could have an autonomous quad-copter and then like you said the main control is just input something at the start of the run from the user like you were sayin, the type of shot and angle, then you could have some sort of sensor the skier has in his pocket so it knows who its following. but based on the input you already have controls in place for the copter to automatically fly the run and get the shot you are looking for.

you could also just have the filmer control the camera part remotely and still have an autonomous copter that followed the skier or whatever.

this is what i imagine, but instead of other copters its trees and there is a camera on one.

Jun 21 2013 12:00PM
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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
Nice that video is amazing! You can program them to do so much, and its totally scaleable.

Im thinking of something along the lines of 450mm from tip to tip on a quadcopter, it has to be big enough to carry, lets say a GoPro camera. Frames like this and with 4xmotors with about 1000~1200 kv will have a payload of about 2kg, so a GoPro camera is no problem for it.

Wouldnt it be cool if the skier had some sort of device like a clock or something that he can set different modes for the drone?

For instance hover 360 deg around me in x amount of second while following and such. I mean, the possibilities are endless!
Jun 21 2013 3:41PM
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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
Nice that video is amazing! You can program them to do so much, and its totally scaleable.

Im thinking of something along the lines of 450mm from tip to tip on a quadcopter, it has to be big enough to carry, lets say a GoPro camera. Frames like this and with 4xmotors with about 1000~1200 kv will have a payload of about 2kg, so a GoPro camera is no problem for it.

Wouldnt it be cool if the skier had some sort of device like a clock or something that he can set different modes for the drone?

For instance hover 360 deg around me in x amount of second while following and such. I mean, the possibilities are endless!
Jun 21 2013 3:41PM
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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
Sorry for the doublepost.. -_-
Jun 21 2013 3:42PM
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Kristian_Jibber
Posts: 119 - Karma: 42
This is the frame that I am using:

Click for larger image
Jun 21 2013 3:47PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
yeah exactly! that would be so sick and do-able with a gopro for sure. i think it would be cool to have it be able to carry like a DSLR and then same concept where you program the move, then have a the videographer watching on a monitor and control the camera to get some human element of artsy shots.

basically eliminate the need for a pilot. just say do this in x amount of feet and send it!

quadcopters are so cool i think and its awesome cuz our controls/robotics professor is a very avid skier so it would be easy to get him on board. plus in tahoe there are so many people like that
Jun 21 2013 3:50PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
yeah exactly! that would be so sick and do-able with a gopro for sure. i think it would be cool to have it be able to carry like a DSLR and then same concept where you program the move, then have a the videographer watching on a monitor and control the camera to get some human element of artsy shots.

basically eliminate the need for a pilot. just say do this in x amount of feet and send it!

quadcopters are so cool i think and its awesome cuz our controls/robotics professor is a very avid skier so it would be easy to get him on board. plus in the reno/tahoe area its easy to test that outside the lab!
Jun 21 2013 3:53PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
woops did the same thing. and that looks pretty solid, yet light
Jun 21 2013 3:54PM
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Tanner-D
Posts: 2061 - Karma: 4,116
I cant find the video but i think someone already made something like this. Good idea though.
Jun 23 2013 12:33PM
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TaranItUp
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 802
Unfortunately, you are a little late on this trend. It is high dollar for a product that is capable, but DJI created the Wookong M which allows you to set up points for the camera to follow on a computer. As well, you can hook up a gimbal with a dslr that can be controlled using a remote. Before you invest, beware that you are looking at around 500 or 600 dollars to build a quad that will only be able to lift a NEX at best.
Jun 24 2013 6:45PM
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TravelsTI
Posts: 1000 - Karma: 353
I can speak from the point of view of owning both a DJI Phantom and S800.  The wookong M is pretty amazing little computer that is very capable of plotting out routes, do it often.  However if yo uare looking to use an NEX on that you are looking at a minimum of $7000 for an s800, most likely around $11,000 when you get done purchasing all of the components.
Jun 24 2013 6:57PM
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-Condor-
Posts: 556 - Karma: 285
this. in all honesty it would take a TON of time and money to get everything right. and theres a lot of outside variables that can make the platform pretty unstable and unreliable. your are much better off buying a small quad, and learn to fly. get some buddys as well so you can swap out and get shots of each other. its will be sooo much easier, a hell of a lot cheaper, and filming or not, they are a ton of fun to fly.

i started with this, roughly $500 ready to go

Click for larger image

and i just finished building this, about $1600 as it stands (waiting for gimbal and fpv gear another $1000)

Click for larger image


also as stated above the dji phantom is a phenomenal started platform for aerial videos/photos. i still wouldnt recommend it as a first multirotor but its not bad either, just a bit more expensive to crash.


also, please please please dont call it a drone!!!! any person outside of the hobby who hears drone automatically things military/weapons/spying. call it a quadcopter/hexacopter/octocopter/ect. or just multirotor. just my $0.02


Jun 24 2013 7:34PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
the whole point would be to make it autonomous so there isn't anyone "flying" it. more like telling it what to do and it does, using control theory. it wouldn't be too bad if you got a "sponsor" and professor on board to do it as a senior project
Jun 24 2013 7:54PM
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-Condor-
Posts: 556 - Karma: 285
i understand that. its one thing to program a quad in a "classroom setting." a whole different thing to set it up to fly at elevation in colder temps with varying conditions,following a skier over varying terrain, at different speeds.


Jun 24 2013 8:22PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
thats why you would do it with controls, not actually write a program. control theory is differential equations that describe the system. using feedback control, you could account for variables like varying terrain and different temperature and different speeds. with the correct equations it does all that on its own
Jun 24 2013 8:48PM
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-Condor-
Posts: 556 - Karma: 285
I gotcha. This in general is stuff I don't fully understand so maybe shouldn't be making calls on it. Just seems overly difficult when having one to control yourself will give you more possibilities. Other than of course the need for someone to fly it.
Jun 24 2013 9:01PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
yeah i think a human element flying and doing camera movement still definitely produces the best shots for sure, but this could be kinda neat if you could get it to follow yourself in a way. but who knows, it could start as one thing and mold into something else. thats whats kinda cool about those types of projects
Jun 24 2013 9:39PM
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