3D Robotics’ Chris Anderson discusses a drone-filled future (video)

Image

You'll likely miss 3D Robotics on first pass. The company's San Diego R&D facility is headquartered in an unassuming building amongst similarly nondescript offices in a maze of a business park. Enter through the back and you'll find yourself in the middle of a small manufacturing assembly, where industrial Pick and Place machines buzz loudly and a handful of women are QAing finished product. Until earlier this month, the site was mostly off the radar, save for a devoted group of online enthusiasts. Then, Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson announced he was leaving the magazine in order to head up the company.

Anderson's off grabbing lunch as we arrive -- like us, just off a flight from the East Coast for a brief visit before jumping on yet another plane. He's in transition at the moment, as the head of both Wired and 3D Robotics, trying out his keycard for the first time as we set up our film equipment to interview the newly minted executive for an upcoming Engadget Show segment. Anderson's ties to the company go back to its inception, however, co-founding 3D Robotics with Jordi Muñoz, a 19-year-old living in Tijuana when the two first met through Anderson's DIY Drones online community.

Continue reading 3D Robotics' Chris Anderson discusses a drone-filled future (video)

Filed under:

Comments

The E382 Aerial Mapping Airplane touts unmanned cartography, ready-to-fly drone kit starting at $600

The E382 Aerial Mapping Airplane touts unmaned cartography, ready-to-fly drone kit starting at $600

Find yourself needing custom aerial maps on the regular? Is Google just not doing the trick when it comes to resolution? Well, the folks at Event 38 have got you covered. The outfit's model E382 photomapping UAV kit is now available for $600. Included in that price tag is a pre-assembled Skywalker airframe, 1250 kV brushless motor, motor speed controller, 4x servos, all the requisite cables and the ArduPilot Mega 2.0 autopilot system -- which handles GPS, flight data logs and pressure monitoring. In terms of performance, the drone cruises at a speed of 25MPH with a flight time of around an hour on a 5000mAh battery. The E382 makes use of a point and shoot camera to handle the cartography duties. You can use your own, or Canon A2200s are available for adding on to the kit at checkout. However, you will need to throw down some extra coin for the aforementioned flight battery and a controller. If you've got some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, hit the source link below to snag one.

The E382 Aerial Mapping Airplane touts unmanned cartography, ready-to-fly drone kit starting at $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DIY Drones  |  sourceEvent 38  | Email this | Comments