Hover Camera from Zero Zero Robotics

Imagine a flying camera that you carry easily, that you deploy and that is hovering autonomously, with the help of a vertical camera and a front camera. This is the principle of the Hover Camera, a selfie drone developed by Zero Zero Robotics. Its design is not as sexy as that of the Lily. On the other hand, it seems much safe, with 4 rotors placed behind the carbon fiber that protect the propellers.

The Hover Camera measures 18.2 x 13.2 x 3.25 cm when unfolded, for a weight of 238 grams, below the 250 grams which allows to fly unrestricted in the United States. Because the aircraft is clearly intended for indoor and urban flights. Hover Camera on White-1200 not only does it stay hovering, but it also knows how to follow a subject with the help of its front camera and strong algorithms of recognition of shapes, and faces. It can also pan. The camera, which shoots in 13 megapixels and films in 4K, is able to pivot on the axis of the pitch (inclination upwards and downwards). It is equipped with a digital stabilization without mechanical nacelle, in the manner of the Parrot Bebop 2. The goal, according to the designers, is to propose an autonomous flying camera, which flies without the need to control it, which captures its images “with a minimum of interaction”, ie without the need for a radio control, With a smartphone to control the image.

This quadcopter can fly up to 2,000 meters above sea level, or 6,562 feet. This isn’t the actual height above the ground you can fly; that distance is determined by the operating range, which is 20 meters for the Hover Camera Passport.This is one of the worst operating ranges available among all drones, where the average is 100 meters (328 feet).

At a top speed of 8.0 m/s, or 18 mph, the Hover Camera is one of the slowest drones out there. Remember that this is the horizontal top speed, and you’ll also need to account for wind strength and direction when flying, which will affect the rate of travel.

Maximum speed in this case is very important if you want the drone to follow you during a bike ride or other kind of activities with fast movements. The Hover Camera Passport might not be able to catch up!

Another important feature for those who get into drones for the first time, is the presence of some sort of hovering assistance, as it may come hard to keep the drone in a determined position when there’s wind and you still aren’t fully trained. Because of that, the Zerotech Dobby packs a GPS as well as GLONASS dual satellite navigation system to guarantee accurate hovering both indoor and outdoor, with wind speeds up to 28km/h.

The Hover Camera offers a limited battery life of 8 minutes (the battery will be removable), lack of cameras on the sides and back to avoid the obstacles, of a difficulty to fight against the wind. It doesn’t come cheap which is priced at $599.

 

The post Hover Camera from Zero Zero Robotics appeared first on Drone Inner.

Yuneec Typhoon G disappoints on camera utility

As more Yuneec Typhoon G users attempt to flex their video and camera options, glitches with the gimbal operations of the RC quadzopter and communication issues between the controller and camera options have led to disappointing results.

The Yuneec Typhoon G is a Yuneec drone that is often compared to the DJI Phantom 3, even though any DJI vs Yuneec comparison is often skewed.

DJI Phantom drones are generally more expensive but do have much more powerful technology, such as Lightbridge or Lightbridge 2, which has a clearer edge in term of transmission distance. In the Phantom 3, that means 2,000 meters compared to 600 meters for the Typhoon class.

The distance metric captures the attention of first-time users in particular because of concerns about losing control and damaging a drone. That problem surfaces more with Yuneec models such as the Yuneec Typhoon G because of an internal WiFi card that pales in data links to the controller compared to Lightbridge 2. As well, a poor solder job for the antenna on the Yuneec internal WiFi card means users have to send it back to the factory for repairs.

Those problems on the Yuneec Typhoon G and other models manifest themselves even more as drone operators gain control confidence. Many want to focus on camera action either for good aerial shots, or for work-related projects that become possible with higher-end drones. Businesses such as roof repair contractors, for example, have taken to the skies to drum up business by surveying houses, office building and garages for patchy cover.

DEW2 said that one big problem in finding out problems with Yuneec drones and camera operations, which would include the Yuneec Typhoon G, is when the warranty is over.

“It took me calling six times about an issue I was having with the gimbal,” DEW 2 said in a review. “After being ran through several ‘trouble shoots’ they wanted me to send it in for ‘testing’. $80 an hour plus whatever needs to be fixed. Purchased in the winter, past its six-month warranty.”

That’s a big problem for the Yuneec Typhoon G, a drone designed to accommodate mounting a GoPro on the three-axis gimbal. Other problems with the Yuneec Typhoon G in that area include the neec to remove the struts to attach the unit onto the gimbal just below the undercarriage by using the Yuneec SteadyGrip. The fit can be awkward and the drone unsteady, according to several Yuneec Typhoon G reviewers as the SteadyGrip is made of weak plastic and sits uneasily on the bulky Yuneec drone.

A separate, but apparently larger issue for most Yuneec Typhoon G buyers is that the controller that comes with the unit does not communicate directly to the GoPro camera, requiring users to turn the camera on separately.

“I returned the product because the buttons that are on the controller to be used to do snapshots and videos could not be used with the GoPro hero 4 camera,” Skip writes. “ITS really stupid to have to buy a separate camera for the Typhoon G and not be able to use it.”

Even once the camera on the Yuneec Typhoon G is operating however, the short video transmission range and need to be ready to quickly switch to line-of-sight flying if the GPS drops, or the battery gets hot and dies faster than expected, grate on users.

 

 

The post Yuneec Typhoon G disappoints on camera utility appeared first on Drone Inner.