Saw this and wondered if it could be fitted with an appropriate camera for photogrammetric use (admittedly, I know very little about what it would take to set that all up, let alone use it).
Would be a neat playtoy but don't know if I would try to use it for photogrammetry.
I suppose it could be a possible use. Try it out and let us know how it works.:-/ :angel: 😛 😀
Frank Willis has several drones that he has assembled himself. For an actual feasible capability for professional applications, expect to spend upwards of $10K just for the drone & controller. Cameras extra.
It works but ain't cheap by any means, and that's "do-it-yourself."
Those little helicopters don't handle very well outdoors. It only takes the slightest wind to blow them out of control. Assuming you were actually able to fly it outside, your next challenge would be to find a small/lightweight enough camera to strap on it that had correctable lens distortions and high enough resolution for accurate mapping. The internal orientation parameters of whatever camera you did strap to it would likely be vibrated so bad that each photo you took would vary too much from the others for any reliable photo measurements to be made. Not saying its not possible, just highly unlikely. Though I'm cool with the idea of a "disposable" UAV.
http://www.paulillsley.com/airphoto/systems/Phantom/
This guy was one of my lecturers at the Centre of Geographic Sciences in Nova Scotia - A complete egg head genius who uses kites/ballons/RC-copters to great effect. Many interesting projects on his website.
Yea, after I graduate, I plan on doing something like what is pictured in your link with a similar helicopter. The $200 model at the top of the thread just doesn't look nearly powerful enough to carry a handheld camera payload. This guy looks like he's got it figured out.
> Saw this and wondered...
The drone will be the cheap part of this technology. I haven't heard so much about the software that will turn the photos into maps and dtms.
$3500 software package. Better be committed.
> $3500 software package. Better be committed.
That's cheaper than I thought.
Minimum $10K Fine?
There's still a minimum $10K fine waiting for you if you're caught flying a drone/UAV for commercial purposes, right?
scheesh Wendell, are you really pushing junk mail? LOL your drone sale is over, way over I reckon
A friend of mine has one of these Droid Copter with camera, video and still
We've had some fun with it, but the range is only 165', and that's US feet..
Parrott has a second version which is longer range. You can extend the range
of the original Parrott with an Edimax to about 800 feet.
PETA, the idiot bunch, not People Eating Tasty Animals, is selling a kit to its members to harass hunters and take pictures of the hunters "Hunting Illegally" for about $325, or so it has been reported.
If I see one, it is time for Target Practice.
😛
