It's difficult to make an insect-like flying robot -- realistic four-winged bots are typically too heavy, while lighter two-winged models tend to fly erratically. USC researchers have edged one step closer to the dream machine, however. They've cre...
Most drones feature blade guards nowadays, but even with those, approaching the blades from the wrong angle could have horrible effects. That’s definitely not the case with Fleye, the world’s safest drone.
Developed by the eponymous company based in Liege, Belgium, Fleye is a drone that you can safely push away without having to fear that your fingers might get hurt in the process. Drone accidents are rare, but they do happen, assuming that people use other models than Fleye, and when they do, they usually make the news. While it’s not excluded to make the news while using Fleye, it’s guaranteed that it will be for different reasons. Some of the possible uses include aerial photography and video shooting, innovative drone applications based on the open API and SDK, marketind, education and research.
What makes Fleye the safest drone on the planet is the design. The rotor is no longer protected by just a guard, as is the case with conventional drones, but by grids on the upper and lower sides. Other than that, Fleye is also shielded on the sides, thus taking the risk of personal injury to zero. In terms of dimensions, this flying robot is about the same size and weight as a soccer ball, 23 cm in diameter and 450 grams (or 9 inches and 16 ounces).
Fleye isn’t only good looking, but also smart, as it packs a dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM, and runs on Linux. The HD camera it comes with is capable of recording video at 1080p 30fps, and can shoot stills at 5MP. Fleye equipped their flying robot with 7 sensors, namely an accelerometer, gyroscope, magneto sonar, optical flow, altimeter and GPS. The generic 3S 1500mAh LiPo battery with XT60 connector is easy to swap, and can keep the drone in the air for up to 10 minutes, which is longer than what you get with a typical quadcopter. In terms of speed, Fleye can fly at up to 15km/h (10mp/h) with an 8 km/h wind tolerance.
The camera can be used for shooting selfies, panaromas, but other autonomous modes are supported, as well, meaning that the drone can hover in place with a 10cm precision, or it can be controlled manually either with an RC receiver or from within the companion app, which will be available for both Android and iOS.
Fleye is hoping to hit the €175,000 ($190,000) funding goal on Kickstarter within the next 38 days, so that their flying robot makes it into mass-production. At press time, backers had pledged nearly €105,000, and according to Kicktraq, the campaign is trending toward €768,651, considering that the average daily pledges remain at the same level. Assuming that the project gets funded and that nothing goes wrong by the end of the campaign, backers who pledged €699 ($738) or more should expect to receive their Fleye drone in September 2016. Sure, it’s expensive, but if it’s safety and fantastic applications that you’re after, then there really is no alternative to it.
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It's difficult to make an insect-like flying robot -- realistic four-winged bots are typically too heavy, while lighter two-winged models tend to fly erratically. USC researchers have edged one step closer to the dream machine, however. They've cre...
