Pepsi Uses Drones in Recent ad!

With a catchy, but misleading, title of "Drone Football" one of Pepsi's most recent ads was able to catch my attention. Although it is not actually drone football it still has some pretty awesome cinematic effects and does show case the use of a multirotor machine dropping the game ball. Enjoy!

Man Flying Gyrocopter Lands On Capital Lawn.

A unidentified man was taken into custody after he landed his gyrocopter on the Capital lawn. It is rumored that the man carried no weapons and meant no harm but was using this as a way to send a message to congress. 

The FAA said the man did not receive any clearance to perform such flight. After a brief period of being on lockdown, everything is running smoothly once again. 

Video Of Hang Son Doong Cave, The World's Largest Cave Aerial Video

Using an aerial photography drone Ryan Deboobt was able to capture some stunning images of the world's Largest cave the Hang Son Doong Cave in Vietnam. 

Cool RC Car Shredder!

For all the scale lovers out there! This is pretty cool! A scale RC car scrap yard and shredder. I guess it's one way to dispose of your old RC bodies!

Meet The Skateboarding Kitty

Since we just got more electric skateboards back in stock, it seemed only fitting to start our monday off with a cat riding a skateboard! Although the kitty isn't on a Yuneec E-Go board Electric Skateboard, the kitty still rides the board better than most. And in the video, shot with a GoPro, you can see that the cat is pretty comfortable on the board. 

Brain Controlled Drone

The title says it all! How cool... and kinda creepy!

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Bat-Wing 70mm EDF Jet!

Any one into scratch builds should check out this build! Using some foam board and some hobby parts a 70mm EDF jet, appropriately named the Bat-Wing, was built and flown! Pretty cool!

Using A Follow Me Function... In A Car!

The follow me function of the 3DR Iris has been a popular and in demand feature, but what about following a car? At a Toyota hackathon in California multiple teams were challenged to build apps around the vehicles data visualizer, the onboard system that generates data such as the car's speed. GPS and RPMS. 

The team known as Eye in the Sky was challenged to build an Android App that would be able to autonomously follow a Scion FR-S around a winding race course. They made the cars GPS coordinates available by bluetooth, that then was collected and sent to the Iris. The objective they aimed to accomplish was to build a more dynamic follow me app function, allowing for camera angles and controls that were capable of handling the sharp turns and acceleration of a car. 

Although the team did not finish all of their work in the 24 hour hackathon, they did get the app running and do a prerecorded simulation. Which was enough for them to win the $10,000 prize. 

The New Proposed FAA Regulations May Put a Hold On Commercial Usage

The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) has been challenged to make rules and regulations for consumer usage of Unmanned Vehicles. An outline was presented and here are what some of the regulations may be:

* Possible perquisites for being a drone pilot

* Must be within line of site at all times

* Can not fly faster than 100mph or higher than 500 feet.

* No flying over people

If the regulation to require line of site at all time becomes a reality, you can say good buy to your hopes of Amazon delivery drones in the near future.  It is hard to say how this will impact the commercial usage of drones in the future, or what will change in time. Currently they still have 2 years to make modifications and find a more permanent solution. 

As for consumers, the rules and regulations seem to be targeted to make it a more regulated flying area, and keep everyone safe while cutting the risks. 

Grandma Takes Flight Of a Phantom

How long will you continue to fly for? Will you make it to 91 and still be flying? Well this Grandma shows us a little bit of her day with the help of a DJI Phantom 2, and a GoPro.

Well this Grandma shows that she keeps with the times and shows how she spends her day.. Okay, so she doesn't actually appear to be flying the Phantom 2, but she is a good sport and smiles along the way, which I think makes her pretty awesome!

Blade 350QX3 Delivers Coffee

A Blade 350QX3 delivered the Good Morning America anchors coffee early last week.  After a little bit of paper flying, and a few laughs, the coffee was delivered and the 350QX3 was able to fly behind scenes. GMA has used a variety of quadcopters andUAV's to film and shoot a variety of things during its series "Game Of Drones."

Introducing NoFlyZone.org

It's a pretty common concern, and is frequently discussed by UAV pilots and on-lookers. Can that drone be used to spy on me? What if it is used to look into my windows? And for that reason it is no surprise that NoFlyZone.org was created. 

The NoFlyZone website is simple and easy for anyone to use. All you do is enter your home address and some basic information, and they do the rest. Once you submit your information it is then verified and the GPS coordinates are added to the database the organization works with drone manufacturers to create a off-limit coordinate for the drone that is uploaded into the drone's software. 

And all of this is free to the user.

There is no guarantee that all drones can be deterred from an area, because to date only a handful of companies have partnered with NoFlyZone. One of the partners being the manufacturer of the 350QX, Horizon Hobby.

The company follows rules that have already been developed by the FAA, which has restricted drone areas already in place, such as airports and government buildings. One of the differences between private and mandatory no fly zone's is that the private zone's will be customizable, and allow for the possibility of delivery drones and anything else that may become available in the future. In time we will be able to see how the NoFlyZone helps contain the off limit areas.

Shotgun Balloon Drop

Looking to get some air time this weekend, but the quad is needing repairs? No problem! Just strap a GoPro to yourself, sit in a lawn chair and add 90 weather balloons. Not exciting enough? Do what Pro Athlete Erik Roner did float up to 8,000 feet and pop the balloons with a shotgun and sky dive back down to earth. 

As cool as this video is, I think you will be better stay away from the weather balloons and find another way to use your GoPro. 

This Millennium Falcon is the drone you've been wanting!

RC Millenium Falcon

 

 

 

 It was just a matter of time but someone made a Millennium Falcon out of a drone! Great job Oliver!

GMA uses DJI Inspire to Capture live footage of active Volcano

The Good Morning America show  used 2 DJI Inspires to capture a new view of a erupting volcano this morning. 

The Inspire's flew over the Bardarbunga Volcano that's located in central Iceland. The two pilots were able to get within 380 feet of the active volcano. Eric Cheng, director of Aerial Imaging at DJI was one of the two pilots that flew the Inspire's from almost a mile away to get images of the bubbling lava from inside the crater. See more information on GMA flight HERE. 

Drones For Good has a $1 Million prize for Winner

It is no surprise that the word "drone" holds a negative connotation, but what has been done to change that? Nothing.

Until now, the United Arab Emirates(UAE) is looking to bring light to the positive usage of drones with its Drones For Good competition. The drone for good competition began in May of 2014 and called for any and all ideas that had potential to advance drone technology to provide real-world solutions to real problems. The entrants from all over the world were asked to be able to show a prototype that could evolve into a finished product with the next three years.

Some of the entries include drone delivery nets that could be used like mailboxes,  and even a proposal that would allow drones to fly over restoration zones and shoot biodegradable seedpods in the ground at strategic locations.  The video below shows another submission that hopes to use low flying drones to fly over the slums in Kenya to capture spatial data and better inform the development of these areas to reduce the poverty in the areas, thus reducing poverty in the area. 

There were a lot of entries, with great ideas, but only a handful made were chosen to be a finalist. All finalist are being flown to Dubai for a final presentation on February 6th and 7th, they will then provide a live demonstration with a panel judging them. The panel will be judging them on the importance of the service, the feasibility of the idea and the strength of the presentation. The winner that will not only be the first to win such an award but will also be awarded a one million (US) dollars. 

New Products!

Some new and exciting products have been announced and will be available soon! Sure to be a great addition to anyones collection is the new Blade Nano QX 3D. The Nano 3D will be available as a RTF or a BNF, and has the ability to fly inverted. The 3 flight modes allow for even a novice to fly the quad, and the spektrum receiver makes for experienced pilots to bind their previous transmitters. The nano is expected to be out late February/Early March.

Another new item that has received a new look is the new DX7 and DX18. The DX7 has added a 250 model memory to its capabilities as well as a wireless trainer link, voice alerts and a backlit LCD screen. The DX18 stealth edition not only has a new look, but also includes a protective carrying case. Keep your eyes open for these new transmitters that are due to be out within the next month.

French Theme park to use 50 drones for show

Puy du Fou, the second largest theme park in french will soon be adding drones to their casting call to their famous Cinescenie night show. The show is already claimed to be the largest night show in the world, but now they are hoping to create the biggest sky chandelier in the world with 50 flying drones.

The show is known to be big and over the to, but the team had been searching for a way to go to new heights. That is when the engineers teamed up with ACT lighting design to develop the drone chandelier concept. The team has been working on the drone, named the Neopter, for 2 years and the drone is able to carry over 6 pounds. Not only does it have a heavier payload than many drones it is also capable of flying in the wind and rain, as well as being able to take off from land or water. 

Week of Drone Crashes; Phantom Crashes in White House Grounds, Drug Drone Crashes in Parking Lot

A DJI Phantom reportedly crashed into the white house grounds around 3 a.m. this morning. The incident caused a lock down of the perimeter, but around 9 a.m. this morning a individual self reported that they had been in control of the unit before the crash. The quad did not have a camera on it at the time of crash, and was determined that although it is Illegal to fly anything in the restricted airspace there was no immediate threat ant the area was cleared in a matter of hours. The individual was later discovered to be a government employee.  

In other news, a six propeller remote controlled aircraft that was carrying six packets of methamphetamine crashed into a supermarket parking lot in a bordering Mexico city. The drone appears to have been attempting to smuggle more than six pounds of drugs across the border to California. Currently the event is being investigated, but at this time the authorities have no leads on where the flight originated or who was the pilot. 

These recent stories are a good reminder that flying safely is and needs to be a top priority. 

Colin Guinn Testifes In Congress

Earlier this week 3D Robotic's Colin Guinn testified to congress why the FAA should integrate and allow usage of small drones. The basis of Colin Guinn's testimony was that the small drones don't pose a serious public safety hazard. By opening the airspace to the drones that are weighing under 2 kg could open endless commercial applications and bring untold benefits to the economy. Not only would this be opening the door to drone pilots, but also allow the FAA to gain access to thousands of hours of flight data, helping better determine the integration of larger drones. During the hearing a Bebop drone was also safely flown around, possibly a first for capital hill?

Even with all the positive potential for drones, they still remain in a legal limbo. Currently the use of drones for hobbyists are available with no permit required, but to use them for non- recreational purposes authorization from the FAA is required. This has caused some U.S. companies to move jobs over seas, to countries that have already developed necessary rules. Currently the FAA states that the agency's main focus is to get it right, and have no date to share on when the regulatory work may be finished.




To see all of Colin Guinn's testimony follow this link.