Drone’s Save Lives – The PR Boost Drones Need

When drone first started to become stable and reliable, industries across the spectrum brainstormed as to how to incorporate this new technology and reap its benefits. From the shipping industry, to the filmmaking industry, to the agricultural industry, drones are slowly becoming major workhorses in a number of industries. It’s exciting to finally see the exponentially increasing use of drone in the public safety sector. The faster drones are put into use; the more lives are potentially saved.With every positive use case reported on by news outlets, public safety departments get more leverage to acquire these technologies.

What accounts for this increase in drone use for public safety is the ability of drones to fly with an array of different types of cameras including infrared, multispectral, and telephoto capable. Platforms like the DJI Inspire or Matrice 100 allow pilots to swap out cameras in seconds. With custom made apps used to control the drones autonomously, user oversight is mitigated. With autonomous flight paths, one of these aircrafts can fly in a grid to cover every inch of land so no hiker is lost to the wilderness.

One such example of drones being put to the test is in Western Canada where seven skiers and snowboarders were rescued after getting stranded. Hummingbird, a drone company specializing in SAR (search and rescue) drones, teamed up with Kamloops Search and Rescue to deploy a DJI Matrice 100 fitted with a thermal camera. After only a few hours the glowing hikers were spotted on the thermal camera. “The Matrices are our favorite and the most effective for what we do because they provide a platform for us to develop on and build out functionality beyond the primary basic use case,” said Robert Atwood, CEO of Hummingbird.

(screenshot of Kamloops SAR’s XT video)

Because of the public’s skeptical position about drone use, public institutions are hesitant to incorporate drones into their arsenal of safety tools. To speed up deliberation, companies like Drone Pilot Inc. have developed programs to provide the tools and training necessary to ease safety, budget, and logistical concerns. They focus on crime scenes and SAR training and use a wide number of multirotors of all shapes and sizes the large and powerful DJI S1000 to the portable and quick-to-deploy DJI Mavic.

As more use cases develop and more success stories are published, public safety institutions will incorporate drones more rapidly and more lives will be saved. Public opinion in favor of drone use by public or federal institutions has been slow to come, but the general perception of drone use may soon be overwhelmingly positive.

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3 Extreme Tests to Inspire 2 under -20℃

Not a drone, no matter big or small, can take off in the winder of Harbin without any insulating measure.

Every so called monster on the market becomes weak in low temperature environment:
You must push the control sticks gently, in case the drone falls due to a sudden voltage dip.
Flying with fear, before you hear the warnings to return to home after a few seconds flight…

Until the birth of Inspire 2, who claims its batteries can be self-heated and deal with temperature as low as -20℃.

So we buy one, bring it to the north of China and see whether the Inspire 2 performs just as how DJI claims.

Here are the results.

Performance test at ultralow temperature

In -20℃，hot water turns to ice immediately when spilt into the air

Battery Performance 

Before carrying out the test, there is a question needs to be answered:

Can Inspire 2 take off in -20℃ without protection?

Just so you know:

In -20℃，an iPad dies in 5 minutes after turning on, and hands will stick with the Inspire 2 controller.

So what happens when putting a fully-charged battery into Inspire 2 without any insulating measures, in -18℃ environment?

The recorded video clip has been speeded up

Screenshot of DJI GO app during test
When the temperature was -18℃, Inspire 2 Intelligence Flight Batteries automatically heated to 13-14℃.

The self-heating function is triggered at -18℃ （the yellow numbers on the right side of the screenshot means batteries are heating）,till battery cells’ temperature rises to 13-14℃. The heating process continues after take-off to keep the batteries at 14℃.

Our test showed that Inspire 2 can fly for 15-17min without being incubated before flight. The result has even better than Inspire 1’s 12min record at room temperature, without any accident like power failure.

Comment:

At the moment, even if some drones manage to take off in low temperature, most of them last no longer than several minutes, meaningless for aerial photography. But Inspire 2 successfully launched without any precaution and managed to fly with longer time and higher safety, making low temperature aerophotography a feasible thing, saving lots of troubles. It’s really a big surprise.

Maneuverability

Since Inspire 2 can perform normally in low temperature, it’s time to test its maneuverability.

How fast can Inspire 2 fly at -20℃？

High-speed flight is difficult for drones in such a condition, because if you push the control sticks too hard, battery voltage might dip and cause danger to the drone. But excellent maneuverability is not only about acceleration and max speed, but also includes braking performance. What’s more, a good drone need to fly with great stability, without visible shakes.

To meet the above standards, we operated Inspire 2 to go up at top speed, fly close to the ground, slam the brakes in front of obstacles, hover in winds and one thing few drones can do—dive at full speed.

1. Full-speed Ascending

Original images without any post-processing
Inspire 2 responded fast with huge propulsion at the moment of accelerating

Full ascending process, at D-Log, without post processing

DJI GO showed the flight speed rocketed to 40.8km/h at the moment of acceleration, with vertical flight speed up to 5.8m/s. The footage not only shows the great propulsion, but also the extraordinary stability of Inspire 2.

2. Low-altitude Flight

Original images without any post-processing
Inspire 2 kept the same altitude when flying forward at high speed.

Full process, at D-Log, without post processing
Inspire 2 reached 90km/h easily.

When flying 1.5m above the ground, Inspire 2 accelerated to 85km/h within 6 seconds, and once reached 90km/h during the whole flight.

3. Manually Brake during Full-speed Flight

Original images without any post-processing
Inspire 2 stopped stably in front of obstacles.

Full brake process, at D-Log, without post processing

Drones need to brake fast to ensure safety. The image above recorded by Inspire 2 is smooth and stable, showing a fast and stable brake done by the aircraft.

4. Hover in Winds

Hovering in strong winds is a good way to test a drone’s maneuverability and stability. But in the weather where snow are blew away brook-like by strong winds, what Inspire 2’s performance will be?

Original images without any post-processing
Look how stably Inspire 2 hovered in strong winds.

To make things harder, we let Inspire 2 rotate above the same spot.

Original images without any post-processing
Rotating in strong winds, Inspire 2 caused a small displacement.

5. Diving at Full Speed

The last-but-not-least test to show a drone’s comprehensive performance: full-speed diving. The first thing we want to find out is whether Inspire 2 can achieve max speed horizontally and vertically at the same time, and the second is how fast it brakes after accelerating. This is a very dangerous action, and few drones dare to try it.

Due to limited propulsion, when Inspire 1 is diving, its vertical speed increase, but horizontal speed keeps unchanged or even decreasing. And because Inspire 1 cannot successfully brake during high speed flight. It’s seldom used in shooting diving footages.

Now take a look at Inspire 2’s performance.

Original images without any post-processing

Original images without any post-processing

Full driving process, at D-Log, without post processing
Horizontal and vertical speed achieved the highest at the same time, and braked fast to ensure flight safety

When Inspire 2 is diving, its downward speed and horizontal speed are both increasing throughout the process. Horizontal speed keeps at about 90km/h (highest at 94.4km/h); vertical speed is about 9.0m/s (highest at 9.1m/s)

Both reached the official claim of 94km/h and 9.0m/s.

More importantly, Inspire 2 can brake fast and stably even at its highest speed, meaning its maneuverability is indeed greatly improved.

Full driving process, at D-Log, without post processing

Once again Inspire 2 shows its great maneuverability by keeping horizontal speed at 90.5km/h and descending speed at 8.9m/s. Except a temporary jello effect appeared, might be caused by the liquid in damping balls was frozen in such a low temperature, weakening the damping effect.

Last we found a small bug, which is, Inspire 2 took 7 seconds to lift its landing gears, longer than 4 seconds in room temperature. The reason is the lubricating oil used to lubricate screws frozen due to low temperature, and increased friction.

Original images without any post-processing

Comment：
1. The fact that one can push control sticks however he wants in -20℃ not only shows Inspire 2’s maneuverability, but more surprisingly, its resilience against low temperature.
2. There is no doubt a great improvement on Inspire 2’s acceleration and max flight speed, with higher stability and safety. “It feels great,” quoted one of our pilots.
3. Some small bugs did exist, but they didn’t affect the requirement of professional aerial photography in low temperature. Now professionals can use it to shoot faster and more visually impacted footages.

Spotlight Pro

How precise can Inspire 2 be in Terms of Image Recognition and Composition?

After going through the challenge of maneuverability in low temperature, let’s find out how its image processing system performs in the same situation.
The new Spotlight Pro in Inspire 2 mainly relies on VI technology and algorism, let’s see how they works in snowy weather.

First we tracked a static object.

Inspire 2 moves stably from the front of the house to its side. Though the house looks tiny on screen, Inspire 2 always recognizes it and keeps it at the same place.

Next we tracked a target that was difficult to recognize.

Despite the target horse barely moves, its color is highly similar to the background, plus there are so many horses just like the one itself, it’s difficult for Inspire 2 to recognize.

Let’s see if Inspire 2 will make a mistake.

Original images

Original images

You can see when Inspire 2 comes close to the target slowly, it becomes bigger, and the shape also changes largely. And a telegraph pole appears in the video, failed to interfere Inspire 2’s constant focus on the same horse, though the position of the horse in the screen changes slightly.

Now let’s track a fast moving object.

When shooting a fast moving object, it’s recommended to use one of the two modes: Composition Mode. It’s particularly useful when you don’t have the time to frame your target. In Composition Mode, select the subject and the tracking position. When the subject enters the preset tracking position, press C2 button on the controller to begin tracking.

A car is approaching at about 50km/h.

Inspire 2 managed to keep on tracking, despite the high speed and small size of the car.

Inspire 2 accelerated from 60km/h to 70km/h. Even though it kept changing directions, the target was still at the center of the screen.

During the tracking process, Inspire 2 came across some obstacles, including telegraph poles, but it still kept on tracking.

The car changed its direction, and its movement was not predictable. But Inspire 2’s VI function still worked well to lock on the target

Comment：
1. The recognition precision of Spotlight Pro is very high, capable of tracking static as well as fast moving objects, even on a background that is almost the same with the target.
2. Successfully keeps locking on target with obstacles in its way.
3. Stability of composition still needs to be improved. Target has small displacement on screen, so gimbal control is still necessary in professional shooting.

Verdict

Good points:
Unprecedented low temperature performance

Faster acceleration and flight speed, higher stability and reliability
Strong maneuverability in low temperature
High precision in recognizing objects in Spotlight mode
High photosensitive property, with enough ISO to take night shots.

Weak points:
Longer time to lift and extend the landing gears in low temperature
Performance of hydraumatic damping balls are weakened in low temperature
Composition in Spotlight mode needs to be more stable

All in all, Inspire 2 is undoubtedly a monster for professional aerial photography in low temperature.

The post 3 Extreme Tests to Inspire 2 under -20℃ appeared first on Drone Inner.

What it looks like when tigers are chasing a drone?

A recent video from CCTV+ shows an example of wild animals versus a drone. In this video, a pack of Siberian tigers chases the drone around while it’s recording them. Eventually, it takes just one swing of a paw to take it down, after quite an unusual game of cat and mouse. It proved that technology is no match for fierce mother nature.

As you can see in the video, these Siberian tigers are not only intimidating and huge, but they are also chubby. They live in captivity and they are well fed, so it’s no wonder they’re not in their best shape. The habitat staff uses the drone to make the big cats run around and chase it to get the necessary exercise.

As the drone flies above them, the tigers get alert and try to catch it. I suppose it wasn’t a part of the plan, but at one point they actually succeed in catching it. One of the tigers swipes at the drone with a paw, and it crushes down onto the ground.

After the drone was taken down, the exercise session broke down faster than the drone, which didn’t stay in one piece for very long anyhow. Small pieces and big chunks were torn off with brutal efficiency right up until the drone started smoking and startled the ambush.

What was left of the drone was later recovered using “a well-protected vehicle.”

Unfortunately, that’s not where this story ends. A little bit of digging reveals that this encounter between tiger and drone isn’t all playful. The “park” the footage comes from allegedly keeps their cats in “deplorable conditions” and sells tiger bone wine, even though the horrific practice was banned in 1993.

The video is undeniably captivating—and fortunately the tigers seem well-fed—but if you enjoy the chase, consider donating to a reputable big cat sanctuary.

( Source )

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Hover Camera buy:Is $599 Too High

The Hover Camera is one of the more unique flying cameras we’ve ever seen, focusing on a durable and portable lightweight design, competitive price, and ease of use through an iPhone app.

Just like Lily and Zano, as the marketing message goes, it’s aiming for the selfie market. Like the others, it has attracted a fair bit of attention from the time it was first unveiled in April.

The official release unit is compact, foldable and weighs only 240 grams. It can recognize a human face and then track it. Hover Camera also supports 360° shooting, throw-and-fly, automatic hovering etc. The drone is priced at $599.

To step back for a second, consumers can buy a Parrot drone or DJI’s Phantom 3S starting. From $499. This new drone-in-a-grill has 10-minute flight, a controllable range of 20m and doesn’t support a remote control, working only through an app. So, is $599 cheap? There are a number of factors to consider.

There are three levels of consumer drone:

• Low-end “selfie drones”(under $400)

Example: Dobby

Features: Focusing on selfies, 4k video, flight time within 10 minutes, electronic image stabilization, limited flight range, controlled by smartphone.

• Consumer drones for aerial imaging (Above $650)

Example：DJI Mavic, DJI Phantom series

Features: Focusing on aerial photography, flight time around 27 minutes, three-axis gimbal, long transmission range, uses remote controller.

• Drones for professional photography (Above $1,500)

Example: DJI Inspire series

Features: Cinematic footage of higher quality, better camera, dual controllers.

There isn’t any mature product between $400-$650 yet. The Hover Camera is trying to wedge itself into this market segment. But, when you lay out its features, side-by-side with rivals, it’s simply too expensive as a “selfie drone.” And then ask yourself these questions:

1. Do we actually need a drone to take selfies?
2. Enclosing propellers with a cover, is that innovation or marketing?
3. Do you want to lower your technical expectations, yet still pay a high price for promised “safety?”

In summary, $599 for the Hover Camera is a bit rich for our blood. Drones with far more features, better cameras – stabilized ones – start $100 below that price point and get steadily better as they creep above it by another $100 or $200. The Hover Camera is cute, but it makes too many compromises and comes in at too high a price.

( Source )

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