Tag Archives: drone camera

How to unlock the power of incredible selfies with this $299 hovering selfie drone camera

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Marques Brownlee says the best camera is the one you have on you… but what do you do when you’re just not a good photographer? Maybe your sense of composition isn’t good with selfies, or your arms are not long enough to get the entire group in the shot, or you don’t have a photographer to follow you around and click photos of you. What then? Well, you could opt for the average solution, a tripod… or you could get yourself an autonomous photographer that can go to any lengths, or heights, to get the best shot possible.

Designer: Zero Zero Robotics

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $389 (23% off). Hurry, only 17 left! Raised over $750,000.

Meet the Hover X1, a pocket-sized self-flying camera that you can carry around with you wherever you go and simply deploy when you need the perfect photo or video. Working somewhat similar to most cinematic drones (but cheaper, smaller, and more personal), the Hover X1 weighs a mere 125 grams, and can fly autonomously, clicking photos and taking videos of you from pretty much any angle you choose. It’s small enough to take off right from your palm, but packs an impressive 12MP camera with a 90° wide-angle FoV that’s capable of 2.7K video at 30fps, or FullHD video at 60fps HDR, along with an intelligent design that lets you choose from multiple flight paths, and has built-in object-tracking abilities as well as impressive level-4 wind resistance. Say Cheese? More like Say Breeze!

The Hover X1’s format is one that you may be familiar with. Following the company’s famous book-shaped design, the self-flying camera folds in half when not in use, and opens up into a quadcopter that’s ready to take to the skies when needed. Power it on and the quadcopter lifts right off your palm in 3 seconds, with a simple touch of a button. The beauty of the Hover X1 is that, unlike other drones that require a fair amount of control, the X1 is entirely autonomous. Its pre-programmed flight paths mean the X1 doesn’t need someone with a controller maneuvering it around the place. All it needs is a subject to record, making it perfect for selfies and vlogging, with a single-touch interface that’s intuitive to even photography amateurs.

Hover Mode – Frames the user from a static position, perfect for hands-free selfies or group photos.

Follow Mode – Follows you from the front or back up to 20km/h. Robust computer vision algorithms keep you centered in the frame

Zoom Out Mode – Gradually includes more of the surroundings for dramatic effect, ideal for capturing the vibe of parties, camping, or backyard barbecues.

Orbit Mode – Orbits steadily around the user, ideal for showcasing a location or objects like your new home, car, or even a new puppy!

Bird’s Eye Mode – Captures overhead views with just one click, so you can see how even the most complex moments are laid out.

Triple Stabilization – Ensures silky-smooth lens movement and guarantees a smooth image every time.

Once in the air, the Hover X1 can navigate in 5 different paths, including orbiting, following, hovering, bird’s eye, and zooming out. Its object-tracking abilities allows the Hover X1 to always keep the subject in frame, and a VIO system located under the self-flying camera helps it maintain its height and achieve stable flight. The camera sits on a single-axis gimbal that lets it focus on a subject, and the Hover X1’s 1050mAh battery gives it enough juice for 20 flight paths. The device can get some incredible shots too, thanks to its ability to hover to places where a hand, tripod, or selfie stick can’t, along with features like HDR for crisp detail, as well as electronic image stabilization for jitter-free video.

Footage you capture gets transmitted straight to the Hover X1 app, where it can either be live-previewed or stored for later. The self-flying camera can be manually controlled over distances as high as 30m, giving you a fair amount of range for flexibility for some absolutely dramatic shots. You can view, edit, and share clips directly through the app, unlocking the unbridled power of autonomous aerial photography… without breaking the bank. The Hover X1 starts at $299 which includes the self-flying camera itself (available in white or black), although for another $30 you can even snag an add-on battery pack, and a charging hub that reduces charging time from 55 minutes to 35 minutes. The Hover X1 app is free to download, and is available on both iOS and Android devices.

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $389 (23% off). Hurry, only 17 left! Raised over $750,000.

The post How to unlock the power of incredible selfies with this $299 hovering selfie drone camera first appeared on Yanko Design.

This sleek drone fits in your pocket and transforms uses its magnetic modular design!

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The rise of drone photography and videography has opened the door to plenty of technological and design advancements. Likewise, with the rise of social media, drones have seen some major improvements across the board, spanning from obstacle avoidance to camera quality and speed. Adding portability to the list, industrial designer Kendal Toerner conceptualized Xenon Drone, a handheld and modular drone designed for the most rugged of adventures.

Xenon Drone was first designed for the drone videographer looking for a drone that’s as durable as it is portable. Noticing the lack of handheld and high-quality drones on the market, Toerner sought to balance functionality and space. Broken down into three pieces, Xenon Drone is made from recyclable, plant-based thermoplastic and features a magnetic launching pad wedged between two drone modules. To communicate Xenon’s portability and simplicity, Toerner designed the drone to be versatile in its assembly, resulting in three different possible forms for flying and stacking achieved via magnetic connectors.

Getting Xenon Drone out of your hands and into the sky is simple—users need only attach the two drone modules at their center magnetic grooves, connect their propellers, and let it fly. One end of each module contains the chunk of embedded electronic wiring; the other end holds Xenon Drone’s triple-axis gimbal camera and batteries. But, while getting it up in the air is exciting, Toerner didn’t lose sight of the importance of a safe landing. Embedded with ultrasonic sensors, Xenon Drone depends on a magnetic landing wand to guide its safe descent—by raising the magnetic wand, Xenon Drone can land safely no matter where it flies from.

Users can also control Xenon Drone’s route from their smartphones using an elastic joystick controller that can adapt to almost any smartphone. From your smartphone, Xenon Drone’s joystick controller displays the drone’s altitude, distance, and velocity, as well as the haptic joystick and pan controls. In addition, integrated GPS technology and Bluetooth connectivity allow users to locate Xenon Drone wherever it lands.

Designer: Kendall Toerner

Broken down into two parts, each module of the Xenon Drone attaches at its magnetic center.

A launching pad was wedged between the two modules to ensure an effective takeoff.

Embedded magnetic springs pluck out to deploy each drone module.

After the two modules connect, propellers are attached before Xenon can take flight.

Xenon’s magnetic connector.

Users need only attach the two modules and connect their respective propellers.

A magnetic landing wand guides Xenon in a safe descent.

An elastic joystick controller allows users to choose Xenon’s route.

“By modulating an electromagnetic force on your fingertip, the flat surface of the controller feels just like a joystick. The further from the center, the more resistance. This allows for eyes-off flying, mitigating finger-drifting issues,” Toerner notes.

“Using the onboard transceiver, GPS, and Bluetooth, the exact location of the two drone parts is always known even when they separate.”

“A camera with a triple-axis gimbal allows for optical image stabilization and manual panning. Having both a wide-angle and telephoto lens allows for unique options when capturing adventures.”

“A thermoplastic, layer-based circuit board can be decoupled from its components with a hot liquid solvent, allowing for reuse and recycle of almost every part. Xenon is manufactured using renewable energy, plant-based thermoplastic, (recyclable) metal, and can be fully disassembled because it uses fasteners and a removable thermal adhesive.”

Sony is disrupting the photography industry with its Airpeak S1 drone that can mount ANY Sony Alpha camera

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Sony is probably the only company at the moment to be able to boast of having a robust camera as well as a burgeoning aerial-tech business. It’s preceded only by GoPro, which launched the Karma drone back in 2016 and discontinued it in 2018 after a very tepid response. GoPro’s cameras, however, are still some of the most popular payload options to add on existing drones, but that pales in comparison to what Sony is offering. Sony’s first drone, the Airpeak S1, is a large pro-level drone that is designed to carry a gimbal along with a full-size mirrorless Sony Camera. It expands what your existing camera is capable of, and essentially means your professional camera (and its lenses) can now take to the skies, capturing professional-grade image and video content.

Make no mistake, the Airpeak S1 isn’t your average drone. It isn’t meant for FPV racing or for consumer-grade aerial shots like drones from DJI or Parrot. The Airpeak S1 is the kind of drone a high-budget photographer or cinematographer would use for taking film-grade shots. The drone comes built entirely by the folks at Sony, engineered to work seamlessly with a 3-axis gimbal and a host of Sony’s cameras, including the A1, A911, A7s111, A7RIV, and FX3 cameras, along with E-Mount lenses between 14mm and 85mm.

The Airpeak S1 is currently the smallest drone ever made to be able to carry a full-size camera. Measuring 644mm in total span, the drone’s most compelling features are its ability to go from 0-50mph in 3.5 seconds, and its stability and wind resistance, making it perfect for aerial shots no matter the weather… although those figures change with different cameras and lenses. According to Sony, the Airpeak can stay stable in winds of up to 44.7 miles per hour, a feat made possible by the 5 additional stereo cameras located on the drone that help it constantly optimize its performance, along with an infrared range-finder that actively helps it avoid obstacles.

For now, the Airpeak S1 can either be controlled via its remote, or the Airpeak Flight app, which will be available later this year only for iOS devices. Sony has worked with drone gimbal experts at Gremsby to develop a bespoke 3-axis stabilizer for the Airpeak S1, although this will be available as an additional purchase. The drone and gimbal can both be controlled singularly by the remote that can hook up to an iPad for viewfinding purposes. Somewhere down the line, Sony will allow the drone and the gimbal to be operated independently (allowing one person to take on piloting activities while the other person oversees cinematography). While launching the drone, Sony also announced that it was working on a cloud-based app called Airpeak Base, that would let users plot automated flight routes and manage a fleet of Airpeak drones.

The Airpeak S1 currently exists as an incredibly niche product that’s made for professional use. Just the drone itself comes with a whopping $9,000 price tag (the gimbal and camera cost extra), which definitely puts it in a class of its own, but then again, the drone lets you mount 8K cameras on it along with a wide range of lenses. While this isn’t something that would probably excite consumers, it opens up an entirely new class of drones, which could one day even work with smartphones (imagine an Apple-branded drone that works with your iPhone 12 Pro).

Sony’s $9,000 drone will be made available at the end of this year – For that price tag, you’ll get the drone along with 2 batteries, a charger, and a remote. The Airpeak S1 still awaits approval from the FAA, although Sony’s even made it clear that the production and manufacturing of all the drone’s hardware is happening in Japan, in light of US legislation and controversies around all drones being manufactured in China.

Designer: Sony

Nixie, the flying drone camera is a secret agent’s dream

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nixie1

If Mr. Bond is reading this, he now knows what’s the next gadget he will need to ask for: Nixie is the ultimate flying drone camera made wearable.

As a part of Intel’s Make it Wearable (MIW) Challenge, Christopher Kohstall and his team created the Nixie, a flying robot/drone with a camera that goes mounted on the user’s wrist. Intel’s idea is to push the wearables market forward by creating some of the most unique gadgets around, in portable form, and Nixie is a fantastic example of the concept.

The idea is that the Nixie will act as a camera with propellers, detach itself from the users’ wrists and fly away while taking images for the owner. Of course, the first thing we imagined it was the use secret agents and spies could give it, but it’s probably great for taking selfies too.

If (hopefully when) the Nixie team end up winning the contest, they’ll get funded by Intel and the gadget will become a reality that tech enthusiasts could be able to buy at any store. Well, color us interested!

Via Petapixel

 

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