Starling 2 and Starling 2 Max are groundbreaking drones with impressive flight times, advanced AI tech, and unmatched autonomy for indoor and outdoor use.
The post Meet Starling 2 & 2 Max: Next-Gen Drones for Epic Flight first appeared on Trendy Gadget.
The DJI Avata 2 is an advanced first-person view (FPV) drone designed for immersive flying experiences. It represents the next step in DJI’s drone technology, providing a mix of improved features over its predecessor, the original Avata. Notable for its lightweight design, quieter flight, and enhanced camera capabilities, the Avata 2 is aimed at both drone enthusiasts and those looking to delve into the world of immersive aerial photography and videography.
The DJI Avata 2 is particularly appealing to tech enthusiasts, hobbyist drone pilots, and content creators who value immersive experiences and high-quality video capture. Its design and features cater to both beginners and experienced pilots, offering easy-to-use functionalities alongside advanced flying capabilities for more thrilling maneuvers and video captures.
Competitors in the FPV drone market include other DJI models like the DJI FPV and DJI Mavic series, as well as drones from manufacturers such as Yuneec and Parrot. These drones also aim to provide users with a mix of high-quality video capabilities and unique flying experiences. However, the Avata 2 stands out with its specific enhancements in noise reduction, flight stability, and integrated safety features.
When considering the DJI Avata 2, potential buyers should evaluate:
Overall, the DJI Avata 2 is a compelling option for those looking for an advanced, fun, and immersive FPV drone. Its combination of performance, safety features, and user-friendly design make it a strong contender in the growing market of consumer drones.
The post DJI Avata 2: A Dive into the Next-Gen FPV Drone appeared first on OhGizmo!.
Although they may be a bit controversial due to privacy and safety concerns, it’s hard to argue that drones, specifically quadcopter models, have introduced big changes in modern life. Taking photos and recording videos can now have some dramatic flair, and deliveries of food and supplies can be made to harder-to-reach places. What these often astounding use cases don’t always say, however, is that drones have very short operating times due to their small batteries. That means they can only fly over short distances with light payloads unless they stop and land somewhere for a recharge. This research concept tries to think of a different system that takes advantage of one of the most ubiquitous power sources found in most urban areas: heavy-duty power lines.
Designers: Viet Duong Hoang, Frederik Falk Nyboe, Nicolaj Haarhøj Malle, Emad Ebeid
Given our current battery technologies, drones have no choice but to pack light. This means most drones have an operating time of around 1 hour or so, and that’s only if they’re not struggling to keep afloat with a heavy load. This drastically shortens the travel time and distance of drones unless they find a way to charge en route, almost like how a car refuels or charges along its way. That, however, would require creating “charging stations” for these drones, which might not always be possible or even economical.
Scientists from the University of Southern Denmark decided to design around a power source that is always there but isn’t solar-powered, which would be too slow and too little for the drone’s use. Instead, the drones clamp onto power lines, the very same thick cables that deliver power from one pole to another. When the drone senses that its battery is too low for comfort, it flies to the nearest power line, flies under a line, and then slowly raises itself until its mechanism grips the line. From there, it uses induction to draw electricity from the line to power that gripping mechanism as well as charge the drone hanging from it.
To test this theory, a drone that was used to inspect power lines was outfitted with custom-made sensors and a gripper before being set to its task without human intervention. The drone recharged itself five times using this method, resulting in an impressive two-hour operation. Although the task put the drone within the immediate vicinity of the electrical line that it needed to recharge, it’s not hard to imagine how delivery drones would likewise have access to nearby lines for the same purpose.
Then again, this recharging system might not be the best solution either, at least given the technologies we have today. Fully autonomous drones are still generally considered to be unreliable, so you can only imagine the fear of one of these flying robots meeting an accident on that power line and taking down a whole block’s electricity. Of course, the better solution would be to have public charging stations like those for cars, but we’re still far from being a drone-centric civilization to warrant such infrastructure.
The post Drone quadcopter concept grips power lines to recharge its batteries first appeared on Yanko Design.
Orchestrated by drone show performance company Sky Elements, a recent recreation of characters from The Nutcracker ballet successfully set two new Guinness World Records. The show used 1,499 choreographed drones flying above the Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex in North Richland Hills, Texas, to achieve the feat, and it must have been a sight to behold in real life. At least there’s a video for those of us who live behind computer screens.
The first record was for the largest aerial display of a fictional character using drones, awarded for a giant Nutcracker stretching 700 feet into the night sky. The second was for the largest aerial image formed by drones, for an absolutely massive picture of a Christmas tree in front of a window with snow falling behind it. Maybe it’s true what they say after all: everything IS bigger in Texas.
Will the records get beaten in the coming year? Almost certainly. As a matter of fact, if I had an army of drones, I would beat them myself. But I don’t even have a single drone, so their records are probably safe from me, provided 2,000 drones don’t fall off the back of a truck in front of my house.
[via TechEBlog]
GAC Group presents groundbreaking innovations at TECH DAY 2023, including ammonia-powered engines, hydrogen-fueled vehicles, advanced software, and all-electric flying vehicles.
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Autel Robotics will showcase the Autel Titan and other innovative drones at the Energy Drone & Robotics Summit, a must-see event in Houston.
The post Autel Robotics Unveils Autel Titan in Houston first appeared on Trendy Gadget.
The Mavic 3 Pro is DJI’s latest drone and features a triple-camera system with multiple focal lengths, enabling creators to fully express their creative vision.
The post DJI Unveils Mavic 3 Pro with Triple Optical Camera System first appeared on Trendy Gadget.
Different people have different needs and tolerances for temperature. What might be room temperature for one could be uncomfortably warm for another. Some easily get cold, while others might need the fan or A/C to be at full blast in front of them. This variety of needs means achieving the perfect temperature inside a room to satisfy everyone is next to impossible. At the same time, catering to each and every preference is also impractical, given the limitations in space for multiple appliances. That’s the kind of problem that this idea for an indoor drone is trying to solve, making everyone inside your house feel comfortable and happy with the air temperature that’s catered specifically for them.
Designer: Miray Ozlem ER
It might be hard to imagine right now, but the houses of the future might be filled with robots of different kinds. We’re already familiar with the rolling cans that are robot vacuum cleaners, but there might come a day when small robot drones will also be flying around inside. Drone AC is envisioned as one such self-flying robot, and its sole purpose is to control people’s emotions through scents and hot or cold air.
In a nutshell, the idea for Drone AC is for this quadcopter to fly around the house, scanning people’s body temperatures and then blowing hot or cold air in their direction to either raise or lower that body temperature to more comfortable levels. It also has functionality to spread scents like an aroma diffuser, and its ability to fly could make it more effective in spreading that pleasant smell around the house.
Most of these functions are automated, controlled by a combination of sensors and algorithms. It can even fly back to its wall-mounted dock when it needs to recharge before it actually drops to a critical level. The only manual intervention that humans need to do is to put in water to cool the air.
While the Drone AC concept sounds and looks fantastic, and there might be a slim chance that such drones will indeed exist in the distant future, the current design leaves a few concerns. A quadcopter will naturally affect the airflow around the drone, so that might also affect the efficacy of blowing hot or cold air in a certain direction. Having the water refill area so close to the drone’s charging port also seems to be inviting trouble. The design does spark the imagination of how the house of the future will look like and how our lives could be more comfortable and more enriching with intelligent products like this.
The post This indoor drone flies to deliver hot or cold air to people inside the house first appeared on Yanko Design.
Commercial drones are a dime a dozen these days. Some are so small that they can fit on the palm of your hand, while others are large enough to deliver packages. One common characteristic that these drones have is that they are primarily controlled using something that resembles a gamepad. Some can even be controlled using just a smartphone. While these might be the simplest and most convenient way to use drones, they are also pretty boring and unimaginative. Without arbitrary restrictions, it might be possible to design a controller that exudes the same spirit of action and adventure that drones carry, like, for example, a portable battle station that turns you into the commander of your flying buddy.
Designer: Martin Lezana, Alan Fornari
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using a game controller for a drone. It has a very familiar interface, at least for those who have ever played a video game on a console or PC, it is easy to make given how many production pipelines already manufacture these devices, and it has all the buttons and thumbsticks needed to control a drone. When used with a smartphone for displaying information and video from the drone’s cameras, it can be an all-in-one drone controller you can easily stash in a bag together with the drone.
That doesn’t mean, however, that is the only way to drive a drone, especially ones with more complex features. These might lean more towards the professional or even military type of drones, but even those are often controlled by something no more sophisticated than a gamepad. This drone controller concept, in contrast, pulls out all the stops and imagines a device that is almost straight out of an action flick.
The controller looks more like a miniature command center, with a central console that displays the drone’s vision as well as its stats. There are buttons, knobs, and sliders that correspond to specific features present in a larger drone so that you won’t have to shuffle between screens to get to the setting that you need to change. There are also two different kinds of joysticks, one on each side, that offer precision control over the flying machine.
Admittedly, this kind of drone controller isn’t one that you’ll be able to easily put in your backpack, but the controller itself actually transforms into a portable case of its own. You do have to detach the joysticks first before the other pieces can slide in and fold down, and there are separate carrying pouches for those detachable joysticks. You can’t simply hold this controller in your hands either, and it’s meant to be strapped to your body when in use.
This drone controller concept is admittedly overkill for a toy, and its use is geared more towards sophisticated drones in applications like search and rescue or reconnaissance. Still, it’s a rather interesting design that would inject a bit of fun when using a drone, even if you’re just imagining yourself to be some action hero that’s about to encroach on enemy territory.
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Drones are already playing a matchless part in photography and videography, and they were supposed to revolutionize the logistics industry invariably. Delivery of goods using drones has not taken off as presumed when Amazon, for instance, tried testing the possibility. True, the aviation and government norms play a curbing part but majorly the limitation of payload capacity of drones is what has created a bottleneck to the inventive technique for small-scale experiments.
Amazon and Uber (in the near future) are likely to set up large-scale operations focusing on drones for delivery. Readying its fleet of flyers for that future, Alphabet Inc.’s subsidiary Wing has unveiled drone prototypes that will be capable of delivering cargo weighing as little as half a pound and as much as 7 pounds. This variation in weight means a tailored aircraft is necessary for several payloads: for instance, a drone designed to deliver prescription medication is not ideal for delivering a gallon of milk or a heavier package like a refrigerator.
Designer: Wing
It has been found that almost 90 percent of the drone deliveries happening today are of payloads weighing up to five pounds. Therefore, Wing’s idea of larger-sized drones that can manage heavier deliveries is a welcome message for the lingering industry. The company’s appropriately-sized fleet of aircrafts for appropriate packages will share the company’s existing design philosophy, which the company has been testing globally by way of Hummingbird – its flagship drone. Wing claims this drone can carry up to 2 pounds and has made thousands of delivers across the globe.
In the video, Wing shows off its new, different-sized drones including the industry-leading one capable of seven pounds of payload. The smaller one on display can take off with as little as 0.6 pounds. Therefore, what Wing has achieved is a drone fleet capable of efficiently delivering packages including small pill bottles to those weighing as much as 7 pounds, which should give logistic partners a wide variety of options to choose from.
The post Google’s sister company Wing designs drones to handle diverse payloads and the logistics industry can’t wait first appeared on Yanko Design.