The new Sony UMC-R10C camera is supported by a custom-made gimbal that orients the camera in any direction and stabilizes it during flight. See Drone and Camera Specs Learn more about Site ScanWe are the creator of the Wheel Antenna Kit to help you get more from your AR Drone. Purchase directly from us or from one of our distributors. Wheel Antenna increases your flying range and importantly will drastically reduce irregular video dropouts when the drone is rotated. Typical distance increase is around 33% to 50%. You most likely will experience even better performance according to your control device.  Critical for FPV flight, you will experience far less video drop outs when the drone is rotated at a distance. Galaxy Nexus Phone: 120 Meters (400 feet). Nexus 7 Tablet: 215 Meters (700 feet) iOS Device - extended range varies with various modelsDo It Yourself (must have good soldering skills and equipment) Send in your Main Board (or new board) for install service.

Report - AR Drone antenna comparison test - PDF file Video  -  Wheel Antenna in-flight short clip Video  -  High performance WiFi Range Extender setup Video  -  Remote take-off. Video  -  YouTube Channel - more videos. Various environments flying the AR Drone Note about RC Mods: Modifying the AR Drone to use a traditional RC transmit-controller is a popular modification.  Physical joysticks can enable additional flight confidence. HOWEVER, an RC Mod will not add one extra meter of downrange distance if you are flying via FPV since you are still depending on the WiFi for video downlink. For ones that simply like flying traditional RC, an RC Mod will put those familiar joysticks in your hands so you can enjoy flying within your close range line of sight. For deep downrange FPV flight: If your objectives include breaking the bonds of close range line of sight flight, then consider focusing your efforts adding a WiFi Range Extender setup.

Also, use a game controller with your control device for physical joystick control which can improve your flight confidence.  The overall cost of ownership is typically less than an RC Mod (including RC transmit-controller). If you seek deeper downrange flights, then stay with all WiFi control and challenge yourself to Go For It ! Warning... once you obtain your first deep down range flight, desire for more can occur.ar drone parrot youtubeAffordable Virtually Indestructible Dronesparrot ar drone online Last spring, Parrot released a cool slow motion video (see Video 1) featuring the famous AR Drone flying through water, fire, glass and crashing into a wall. parrot ar drone youtubeWhile this video is really cool, it was performed under controlled conditions (see Video 5 for the making of). parrot ar drone motors emergency

Still folks from Game of Drones took the idea seriously and decided to build a robust low-budget drone. Checkout Videos 2, and 3 to see them torturing their quadrotor. Their drone is virtually indestructible! The frame remains fine even after getting hit by a baseball bat or after a gun shot. So, all parts inside the frame remain protected.parrot ar drone 2 usb The Game of Drones quadrotor was the reward of backers of the Game of Drones Kickstarter project. ar drone price dubaiNow that the project is over, the alternative is to get a carbon fiber drone. buy parrot ar drone onlineThose are the ones used in FPV (First Person View) drone racing. They exist in different sizes. The small ones, called mini-drones, are smaller and cheaper (without the accessories for FPV) compared to the Parrot AR Drone or the DJI Phantom, the number one drone for hobbyists.

FPV Drone Racing: How to Ensure the Best Experience? One of the most exciting application of drones is FPV racing. To get a glimpse of what pilots see, watch video 5 below. It feels like riding a speeder bike in the chase scene of the Star Wars Episode VI (Return of the Jedi). To race a drone in FPV, beside the drone and its remote, you need FPV goggles or a monitor that will display the video stream from the camera of the flying robot. The quality of the experience, depends of course on the quality of video. Obviously, the resolution of the goggles and the camera is critical. Going HD is the best option. The video should be at at least 25 frames per second. Another critical component is the wireless link. You need a video transmitter onboard and a receiver on the goggle side. They should provide enough bandwidth to transmit the video at maximum resolution and frame rate. The video wireless link should also operate at a wide range, compatible with the range of the remote control of the drone.

Last, don’t forget to take some spare parts. At least some extra propellers, and one battery. The props are not protected by the frame and are likely to break often. The extra battery allows an extended flight time, and having fun for a longer period. A cool option is to have a drone with white LEDs at the front an colored ones at the back. It allows for brighter videos and cool visual effects to spectators, if you plan to fly by night or simply in a shady place. Video 1: AR Drone Slow Motion Video 2: Drone vs. Aluminum Bat Video 3: Drone vs. Shotgun Video 4: Making of AR Drone Slow Motion Video 5: View of Camera Embedded in a Racing Drone Scroll Back To TopWHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE DRONE CHALLENGE? The goal of the drone challenge is to optimize the design and performance of a 3D Printed Mini Quadcopter. In order to preserve the inspiration of the original design (provided by GrabCAD user Nathan), you may only make modifications to the propeller blades and/or to the arms of the structural frame, this includes changing the shape or material of these parts.

Using the SimScale platform and the tutorial materials provided, you will show how the performance metrics of the drone can be improved using optimization. THE PROBLEM THE DRONE CHALLENGE SHOULD SOLVE The important issues that the drone challenge will address with regard to drone design are as follows: Increasing the lift (consider how this could affect the drag) Reducing the weight (volume of material) Maintaining the structural integrity of the frame (i.e material yielding and large displacements) A 3D printable design The designs will be judged based on improving the performance metrics of the stated problem: These metrics are critical and therefore your drone design should be validated using the SimScale engineering simulation platform. The SimScale platform runs in your web browser so that there is no installation necessary. Technical Requirements of the Drone Challenge I. CAD models of the 3D Printed Mini Quadcopter: The original CAD model that is to be optimized by you.

A simplified version of the original CAD model which has been prepared for simulation – bolt faces have been smoothed, the electronic parts removed, and the volumes combined into one compound. While it is technically possible to include all of these features in high detail, it also increases the computational expense without significantly affecting the results. That’s why we highly recommend that you use a simplified version of your optimized design when doing the simulation on the SimScale platform. This simplified CAD model is a good example of what you should strive for. You may modify the propeller blades and/or the arms of the structural frame. These are highlighted in the image below (due to symmetry) II. Materials for 3D Printing: Since the drone design should be 3D printable, you may choose from three different materials. III. Information about modifying the propellers: Changing the length, shape, or the angle of attack of the propellers will change the aerodynamics of the drone.

If you are new to the SimScale platform we recommend that you get started by watching the Drone Workshop Webinar 1. The geometry and mesh of the original drone (Design 1) are provided in Tutorial Session 1 – Level 1. Complete this tutorial to obtain the Force Plot for the original drone design. Upload your optimized geometry to the SimScale platform (hint: take advantage of symmetry and simplified frame geometry). Meshing is explained in detail in Tutorial Session 1 – Level 2. You will need to define the ‘rotating zone’ of the propeller using an additional cylindrical solid region in your CAD geometry. Return to Tutorial Session 1 – Level 1 to obtain the Force Plot for your optimized propeller design. Consider rotational speeds of 525, 1050, 1575, and 2100 rad/s Please submit a screenshot of a Force (Lift) vs. Rotational Speed graph to document your final results and to compare the original design and your optimized design. IV. Information about modifying the arms of the structural frame:

Think of ways that the arms could be modified to reduce the weight of the frame while maintaining the integrity of the structure (i.e avoid material yielding and large displacements). If you are new to the SimScale platform we recommend that you get started by watching the Drone Webinar 2. See Tutorial Session 2 – Level 2 to set up the simulation considering preloaded bolt connections Tutorial Session 2 – Level 1 describes the appropriate result control settings for post-processing the Von Mises Stress results and the WarpedbyVector displacements of the arm. Consider a lift load of 2.25 N Please submit screenshots detailing the von Mises stress results and the maximum displacement of the arm for both the original design and your optimized design. SubmissionsThis must include the following:1. Link to your public simulation project, including the geometry of your modified drone, the mesh as well as every simulation run in your result interpretation 2. A brief summary of your work: Please describe your design modification, the simulation setup and how your modifications improved the performance metrics (increasing the lift of the drone, reducing the weight of the frame, the structural integrity of the design, 3D printability)

3. Post-Processing images (for both the original drone design and your optimized design) which prove and explain how your design modification improves the performance. Please submit at least five different pictures. Submissions for the Drone Challenge close at 11:59 PM CET on March 15, 2016. SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT HERE 1st place 3D printed assembly of your drone (all parts) + radio controller + accessories + 1 Year SimScale Professional Subscription + SimScale Professional Training 3D printed assembly of your drone (all parts) + radio controller + accessories + SimScale Professional Training 3D printed assembly of your drone (all parts) + radio controller + accessories Drone Workshop Learning Resources Tutorial Session 1 – Level 1 Tutorial Session 1 – Level 2 Tutorial Session 2 – Level 1 Tutorial Session 2 – Level 2 Tutorial Session 3 – Level 1 Tutorial Session 3 – Level 2 Tutorial Session 4 – Level 1 Tutorial Session 4 – Level 2