Innehållsförteckning för The Drones Book från The Drones Book

Drones are everywhere. And while the term ‘drone’ may have picked up negative connotations due to its use by the media when reporting on the role they play in the military, nowadays drones have become part of everyday life for many people. As prices have dropped and availability has increased, the range of affordable drones on offer to people has skyrocketed, meaning anyone can get involved and start flying. In this book we’ll take you through all the basics, and examine some of the best drones and accessories on the market. You’ll then find inspirational guides to show you what you can do with your drone, and even build your own. On top of that, discover the amazing ways drones are being used today and how they are changing the…

You could go on Amazon right now and take your pick from more than 700 different drones. However, you might encounter a problem when it comes to choosing which one to buy, as you will be swamped with jargon and reviews. Quadcopters cross lines between electronics, hobbyist products and, in some cases, even toys. So, high-street stores that sell any of these could also sell drones. The retail store Argos, for example, offers a number of UAVs, but not every store will necessarily have every product. Once you have an idea of the type of drone you want, and the amount of money you can afford to spend on it, use online sites to narrow down your search. Read the reviews on these sites, but remember to read them with…

Accelerometer: An electronic instrument used for measuring acceleration on a given path. Attitude: If you’re new to flying, don’t mix this up with altitude (height). Attitude is the orientation of the UAV, whether it’s tilting forward or flying upside down. Autonomous: Not subject to outside control, this refers to when a drone is flying by itself on a set path using GPS or other means, rather than actively steered with a controller. Bind: Connecting your controller to your drone. This is like pairing your phone to your earpiece, except it doesn’t normally use Bluetooth of course. CAA (Civil Aviation Authority): The UK’s body in charge of all flight issues and licences. When you read American forums or books, you’ll see reference to their equivalent, the FAA or Federal Aviation Authority.…

If you like the idea of shooting aerial photography or video, but don’t want the stress of flying, then you want a drone with autonomous flying features. Not having to think about flying means that you can focus entirely on getting the shots you want. The Autel EVO Lite+ was designed with Dynamic Track 2.1 built-in. Select a person, animal or vehicle, and the drone will follow the subject, allowing you to focus on capturing them perfectly. These automated flying modes aren’t as good as the ones found on DJI’s offerings, but they work well enough. To capture the shots, the Autel EVO Lite+ is equipped with a 20MP camera capable of shooting 6K video at 30fps as well as 4K at up to 60fps. Video can be shot with HDR…

Who said that all drones had to be controlled in the air? PowerVision has shown this definitely isn’t the case with their previous model the PowerRay. Unlike the PowerRay, which can submerge and swim around underwater, the PowerDolphin stays on the surface of the water. Marine Drones at the moment are nowhere near as popular as their airborne counterparts but you may see a few trying to be funded on places like Kickstarter. If companies such as PowerVision can build an audience, then it’s possible more companies may make their own marine drones. The PowerDolphin’s camera is mounted on a dual-joint rotating system so it can change between looking upwards to down, giving it a 215-degree viewing angle. Around the camera lens are four lights to give you a choice in…

Technology aside for a second, what rules do the operator of a drone need to adhere to? Well, more than you might think. The FAA states that if you would like to fly your own unmanned quadcopter, you must be at least 16 years of age and able to pass a specific aeronautical knowledge test. Only then would you be able to obtain your Certificate of Authorization (COA) and be able to take your new purchase to the skies. The COA currently lasts for two years and will take 60 days to process, but one-time certificates are also available for what the FAA describes as ‘time-sensitive emergency missions’ such as disaster relief. 609 COAs were issued in 2014 compared to only 146 in 2009, so more and more people are…

As with almost every new gizmo, worldwide firms are seizing the opportunity to jump on the drone bandwagon. Just look at Amazon who is close to introducing the drone delivery system, Amazon Prime Air. But what about the small time entrepreneur who’s looking to get some extra business with a little advertorial on their quadcopter? Well, the CAA states in its official guidelines that for any commercial activity you must get the correct permission. If you don’t you could face prosecution. So make sure you take the correct measures if you want to give your new business venture a much-needed advertorial boost! Restaurant chain TGI Fridays got into hot water when a UAV owned by the firm crashed into a diner, cutting her nose open. Meant to be a Christmas…

Taking drones on holiday with you isn’t as farfetched an idea as you might expect. With drones like the DJI Mavic and Parrot ANAFI having cameras capable of taking good photos and video, while at the same time being incredibly portable, being small enough to fit in most backpacks, why not pack them in a suitcase? Some of these UAVs also have autonomous flying modes that make it so much easy to take photos or video of yourself without a controller in your hand - making your photos look more natural. A number of companies have developed these modes and will name them differently, DJI named theirs ActiveTrack for example and Parrot calls theirs Freeflight. You should only use these modes in wide open areas such as beaches, as you…

PARROT ANAFI AI Not only is this drone light and portable, but it has a 4K camera built-in that can tilt up or down 180 degrees allowing you to get creative with filming. It can be charged while out on location, using a USB-C cable and an external power source. POWERVISION POWERDOLPHIN Drones don’t only explore the skies. Powervision has made a couple of marine drones, but we recomend the Powerdolphin as it can capture 4K video above or below the water thanks to its 220 degree dual-joint rotating camera. DJI MAVIC 3 The Mavic is a portable drone, when folded it is about the size of a bottle of water. It is designed with autonomous features to follow you and allow you to explain your surroundings to your viewers.…

Although UAVtechnology enables the military to fight an enemy at a safe distance, this does raise several important issues, as Chris Cole from Drone Wars UK explains: “One of the restraints on military intervention overseas is the human and political cost of sending young men and women overseas, only for them to come back in body bags. However, if you take that cost away, then it makes it much easier to choose military intervention, because it’s perceived as being low-cost and quicker. Rather than seeking a slow, diplomatic, political solution, there is a concern that the use of these remote systems is actually lowering the threshold for war, making it much easier to get involved in military intervention overseas. “And we’re already seeing that drones are being used in lots…

The creation of Alec Momont, theAmbulance Drone is a revolutionary way to respond to medical emergencies. Built using 3D printing techniques and a strong but light carbon-fibre frame, this drone is a glimpse of what might become commonplace in the future. Enabling the emergency services to cut average response times from approximately ten minutes to one minute, by getting the right supplies to people in need so quickly, survival rates could be increased from eight per cent to 80 per cent. Momont’s vision – along with Living Tomorrow and the University Hospital of Ghent – is to show how drones can be used for good, and how the Ambulance Drone could be part of a wider network of life-saving drones that could ultimately transform the way emergency response services work…

Your drone is subject to enormous stresses. Each of its rotors is really trying to spin the entire machine and, although having four or more of them cancels that out, it strains the entire airframe. Drones have to be light too, so there are limits to how strong they can be, and if you want to keep your one working well, you need to know how to maintain it. There are two things you should always do: check the batteries and bring spares. Batteries decline in power over time and if they are not handled well, so get used to having spares when you can and making sure you use them fully. That’s harder in a drone than, say, a mobile phone because leaving them on means leaving the device…

Drones are a fantastic feat of engineering, but there are always improvements to be made. By carefully hand picking accessories, you can improve your drone. Some accessories, like a secure carry case and propeller guards, are ideal for keeping your drone in tip-top shape, while purchasing a crash pack and tool kit can be a godsend when things go wrong. That isn’t to say drone accessories are boring, as that isn’t true. Things like performance gears can almost double your drone’s maximum speed, while attaching a flight recorder will give you a new way to track what your drone sees while in the air. Use this guide to get all the information you need about some of the must-have drone accessories on the market. MICROSD CARD ANY STANDARD MICROSD card…

Whether you’re wanting to start racing with drones or just a different flying experience, you should look into FPV drones. FPV, or first-person view, is when you pilot a drone while weating a headset that shows you the view from the front of the drone. There are a number of FPV drones on the market, but some will require you to assemble them yourself and the majority are not beginner-friendly. The DJI FPV comes with three different flight modes, so whether you’re an experienced pilot or just starting, you should feel comfortable flying. Normal Mode makes the FPV behave like your standard drone it will hover in place and the sensors around its body will prevent it from flying near any object. Manual Mode disables the hovering and sensors so…

The DJI Phantom was renowned for offering professional-grade video capabilities and an array of smart features, which put it firmly at the top of the list for any aspiring drone cinematographer. It improved the range with the Phantom 4 Pro which was part of a drive to make drones smarter and safer with the addition of autopilot modes and a refined design for more stable flight. If you’re worried it all sounds a bit dull, then don’t be – it’s faster than you would expect! DJI then improved on this model with the release of the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 in 2018. The changes don’t warrant a purchase from those who already own a Phantom 4 or Phtantom 4 Pro but if you’re new to the range, the newer version…

Powervision’s drones have always stood out among others on the market. Nowhere is this more obvious than with the PowerEgg X. From a quick glance the PowerEgg X may seem like a typical 4K video drone with its tri-axial mechanical stability and AI features but the drone attachments can be removed and the PowerEgg X becomes an entirely different product. While in Drone mode the PowerEgg is capable of reaching speeds of up to 64km/h and can fly for around half an hour on a single charge. Anyone who has gone out and captured video footage with a drone will tell you that the audio is always unusable as the only sound that the drone can capture is the noise from its rotors. The PowerEgg X has a solution for…

Privacy is usually a thorny issue but even more so with quadcopters. The majority of drones contain some sort of camera or recording equipment so expect this to be a recurring issue especially in areas where one can expect reasonable expectations of privacy. Most of it is common sense but expect legislation to get even tougher on this topic if it is not adhered to. Taking pictures of military locations is a big no-no, as is filming sports events or music concerts. It can also be dangerous, as popstar Enrique Iglesias found out the hard way after he grabbed a drone during one of his concerts, slicing his fingers open.…

SIMREX X300C Retailing for £39.99/$39.99, this palm-sized drone comes with a controller and can shoot video at 720p. While it may not have sensors on its body to prevent it from crashing like the more premium models, it does have propeller guards to prevent some damage if it crashes. MICRODRONE 4.0 This small drone is ideal for new pilots as it comes with everything a beginner would want. It has three speed settings, self-hovering, it can film in Full HD and perhaps most importantly, a low price point. RYZE TELLO The Tello is an excellent addition to your aviary as well as a great option for beginner pilots. The app has simple commands to make the drone do cool tricks and its propellor guards will protect it in case you…

It’s vital to be able to edit your footage, or at least have a friend who can. Being organised helps. Start by downloading your clips into a separate project folder. Don’t just download everything into your computer’s default photo or video folder. Create a separate folder for the project and name everything there. After this, your editing software will have everything to hand. Once you’re finished, your project can easily be archived to an external hard drive, but if you decide to change something in your edit, everything is still in place and your video editing software will be able to access your clips.…

Humans love to compete against one another. It’s how we’re wired, and no matter where you go in the world, you’ll find somebody organising a racing series for something. From Formula One cars to snails, we’ll race it. Most competitive sports involve significant costs, but drone racing allows you to feel the full-on adrenaline of competition without massive expense. Perhaps this will change, but we doubt it. Because even the latest technology is relatively inexpensive, drone racing will probably continue to be cost effective for some time to come. It’s in its early stages which, in our view, is the best time to become involved.…

Payload-carrying drones are already with us. Yamaha’s agriculture drones are very successful, but held back by legal restrictions outside of Japan. Retailers such as Amazon are already planning autonomous drone deliveries and are testing right now. But drone capability is advancing faster than UAV rule-making. Legislation is currently trying to match the pace of UAV developments and demands from both consumers and businesses who can see the possibilities. The big sticking point will be drone autonomy. By that, we mean that UAVs are arriving with the ability to be aware of their surroundings, which means that they can make decisions to avoid obstacles and people. However, in most countries, drone legislation prohibits drone operators from operating their UAVs out of direct sight and also to allowing it to make flight…

With a range of wildlifehabitats to survey, what’s the best type of drone for the job? Multirotor or fixed wing? Serge Wich from ConservationDrones shares the results of his extensive in-the-field experience… “If you need to cover a small area, a multirotor is fine. And also, where there is no place to land a fixed wing then you are almost forced to use a multirotor, which has vertical takeoff and landing – the open-space requirements are much smaller. Another advantage of multirotors is that it’s much easier for people to be trained on using them because the landing and takeoff part is easier than with a fixed wing. “Most of the multirotor systems have a GPS mode, so whenever you let go of your control stick, that unit will stay…

Sky View Video’s CraigJump explains how the data captured by drones is converted into maps: “You can take a number of images – they don’t have to be that accurate in terms of location, or have GPS data – and you can use tools, such as PIX4D, to stitch the images together and create a kind of 3D Google map. This tool will allow you to export to a common graphic information system (GIS), and it will also enable you to do things such as create videos of a virtual fly-through of a landscape, or even a building, like a castle or ruin, for example. “Now, you can also take that one step further: you can use global-positioning-system (GPS) reference images, which makes it a bit easier on the software…

As technology advances and prices fall, the demand for consumer drones continues to grow. Drones are available in all shapes and sizes from the tiny, entry-level Nano Drone 4.0 to the high-end, professional DJI Inspire 2. It can all be a bit confusing, as these remote control or autonomous aircraft go by a variety of names, including UAVs, drones and quadcopters. These are largely interchangeable, although the term quadcopter refers to the number of rotors. From as little as £40/$60, you can experience the fun and excitement of owning a drone without breaking the bank. Explore, perform stunts, and even play multiplayer games. You can choose from a range of drones to suit your budget and experience level. With so many drones on the market, it can be hard to…

As the name suggests, the Micro Drone from Extreme Fliers is one of the smallest and lightest quadcopters available on the market. The fourth generation of Micro Drone 4.0 measures at 4.7 inches by 4.7 inches and with the battery in it weighs 120 grams. With a lot of smaller drones, you are sacrificing video quality and other features when you make the drone smaller but that isn’t the case for the Micro Drone 4.0. The 1200mAh battery offers a flight time of up to 12 minutes and it can be recharged in 45 minutes using a micro-USB cable. It has a quick release design so you can swap batteries and get back to flying in seconds. The micro Drone has three flight modes: Slow, Fast and Insane. Each one…

The accessibility of drones has exploded in recent years. Once solely a military venture, drones, UAVs, quadcopters, or whatever you want to call them, are becoming commonplace. Crucially, various sets of rules and regulations have been put in place in the wake of this public drone explosion. These guidelines vary from region to region, with some countries more strict than others. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controls everything drone in the USA, while the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) performs the same role in the UK. Both have devised a series of standards that will allow for close regulation but also the flexibility to accommodate future developments. These laws vary depending whether you are flying for fun or for work, the laws we will be talking about are strictly for recreational…

What can we expect in the years to come? With the anticipated pressure from the largest companies around the globe, it is likely that commercial and advertising laws on drones will be relaxed. There is also likely to be a greater difference between the laws in rural and urban areas and sparsely and densely populated areas. After all, there are different risks in inner-city London than there are in the Scottish Highlands. Back in 2017, a US Senator in Oklahoma proposed a bill that would allow for property owners to capture or shoot down drones that are caught flying over their property. The company DroneShield is developing technology for detecting and countering drones. Their DroneGuns provide a safe countermeasure by shooting electromagnetic noise up to 2 kilometres away. This interrupts…

Many drone projects are crowd-funded. The cutting-edge, global technology lends itself to this method perfectly. If you wish to speculate on a UAV project like this, do it through recognised sources, such as Kickstarter or IndieGogo. They verify that the projects that exist are worth supporting. Most projects offer perks for supporting them, such as special editions or early delivery. The idea is that, instead of trying to convince one big financial institution to give all the money, they ask lots of people across the world to loan small amounts each. When the project is successful, everyone gets their pledge returned to them in the form of the final product. It pays to read up on each project and check the protections that are on offer from each platform.…

AVIATION MAPS This might sound like an odd item to have, but don’t forget that you should always fly responsibly. One important aspect of responsible drone operation is knowing where to avoid. Study an aviation map of your area and be aware of prohibited zones and places where you may come into conflict with real aircraft. BATTERIES Currently, the longest flight time you will get out of a drone’s battery will be around 30 minutes, rather than wait an hour or more for one to recharge go prepared with spares. They’re typically easy to switch around, meaning you can land the drone, switch batteries and get back to shooting with little time wasted. MEMORY AND STORAGE You’ll need lots of storage for your footage, both on location and back at…

In this modern age, with health and safety being the mantra of every security guard, gaining access to some areas can be difficult, but not impossible. It pays to persevere and try to gain permission to access some areas, but it’s never easy. Firstly, don’t just try to enter without permission. Not only will you antagonise everyone including security staff, it’s potentially dangerous and illegal. Old buildings are closed off for a reason, generally because there are hazards inside. On-site staff will rarely be in a position to give permission, so don’t ask. Instead, find out who the owners are and approach them. Give them an upside by offering to document the building for them and ask what its future is. You’re far more likely to be successful if they…

FIRST-PERSON-VIEW (FPV) GOGGLES Good flight goggles are an expensive but important element of FPV racing. The video feed is projected onto the small screen, but then high-quality magnification gives a stunning, immersive view of your race. LITHIUM POLYMER BATTERIES The latest in technology, they allow very rapid discharge rates, which give motors the rate of power they need to accelerate fast. Quads are capable of 128kph (80mph) in forward flight, due to them. They can be temperamental; watch them when charging, and discard crash-damaged packs. COBRA ENGINES These are tiny, stepless, 8-volt electric engines, weighing just 22.5g (0.8oz). Not all motors are created equal; read the full specification. Some have high peak power, but lack midrange, while others have lots of torque, or midrange power, which will give stronger acceleration.…

While they may be some way off, mainstream drones operating as personal assistants and minions is an exciting prospect. In addition to hazardous activities and being able to photograph things from the air, UAVs have the potential to undertake boring and repetitive workload tasks with ease. Around the world more places are experimenting with using drones for delivery or maintenance. Before UAVs were easily available, companies would have to hire helicopters for jobs such as visually inspecting bridges and power lines. Drones are being used more now as they’re cost effective, there is less risk of injury for the crew, the setup time is reduced and a lot of models have high-quality cameras built-in with great zoom features. You can’t use just any commercial drone for inspecting power lines however.…

Stanford University and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland are working on a drone inspired by geckos and wasps. The drone is called the FlyCroTugs, short for Flying Micro Tugging Robots. Normally a drone can carry around double its weight, but these micro drones are capable of moving objects that are 40 times their own weight. They anchor themselves onto a surface, and using a small winch on its back, it can pull objects. The EPFL demonstrated their use by having two working together to open a door. Thanks to their compact size, they could be ideal for delivering bottles of water to people in search and rescue missions when people can’t get through.…

Flying a drone safely while simultaneously capturing high-quality video of a live event would be too challenging a task for an individual. Mark Corcoran explains how a news-gathering drone operating team needs to work together to generate aerial footage in challenging locations: “There is overlap. You’ve got a dedicated pilot, a second person can be calling the shots in a busy environment and there is also someone controlling the vicinity of the pilot. One thing I found is that you get a lot of onlookers; people who want to know what’s going on. They can obstruct the view of the pilot. Sometimes where you are you might get someone who is angry about the fact that there is a drone around. So you have to explain what’s going on. You…

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