Chinese Police Officer uses his drone in cases

Drone Lover

Born in 1985, Wang Yuyao is a police officer in Tangshan Police Station. He has been a loyal fan of model plane since Junior High.

Zhu Yue, senior officer of Tangshan Police Station, said Wang Yuyao has used his drone to assist daily works of the police station, including investigation, security control, supervision and emergent response.

Wang was the only normal police officer invited to the National Police UAV Forum of 2015, while other 300 delegates are scientists, experts and technicians from institutes and enterprises.

On month later in October, 2015, Wang and two of his colleagues went to the First Contest of Police UAV Application on behalf of Jiangning Police Bureau. They won the second prize in landing/taking off.

He was invited again to the National Police UAV Forum of 2016, and gave a speech on the practice of UAV in small police stations.

There are now three drones in Tangshan Police Station, according to Wang. One was his DIY, the other two drones were bought by the police station. With different sizes, three drones are used for different tasks.

Finding Missing Boy

Mr. Liu called Tangshan Police station at 10 a.m., Dec 27^th, 2015, saying his 9-year-old son went missing. The station sent out over 20 police officer to search the missing kid immediately.

A neighbor reported that he saw Mr. Liu’s son walked into a Mountain nearby with a male adult. Tuan Mountain, which was not tall, was covered dense trees.

The police station sent out a drone to search, and soon found a man. After investigation, the man, Wang, said he saw the young boy walked towards Qinglinyan Village. Then Police and Mr. Liu found out the ‘missing’ boy was at his friend’s home.

Useful for Various Tasks

Fire control became critical during Tomb-sweeping Festival for Tangshan Police Station. Wang said: “Drones are much more efficient in patrolling around mountains. It used to cost 60 policeman a whole day to patrol the mountains, but now the drone can finish the task in one hour.”

It is also applied to monitor flood and provide warning during flood season. Via the real-time video transmission, the police station could respond in targeted ways. The data sent back by drones would be shared to other relevant government departments for further rescue/response plans.

Drones are also used to prevent illegal logging in remote mountainous areas. Previously, it was very difficult for officers to get close to the logging scenes and capture evident pictures. With drones, it has become much easier to locate criminals take pictures as evidence, which would help Police’s arresting action.

Wang also suggested that drones could help to drop buoy to drowning person with precision, especially when the person is far away from banks.

The post Chinese Police Officer uses his drone in cases appeared first on Drone Inner.

How are drones used for graffiti?

Drones can be used in many fields. Carlo Ratti Associati is planning to paint empty urban surfaces across the world by drones. That is, drones can also be used to draw graffiti. The studio has developed a system called ‘paint by drone’ that can draw on building surfaces, turning any blank surface into an artistic space for urban data visualization.

The drones equipped with sensors are programmed to draw content submitted digitally via an app, while a central management system regulates their operations in real time. In this way, the drones can create artistic works on the empty walls for us.

The studio plans to paint the graffiti first in Berlin and Turin in fall 2017. The collaborative graffiti projects will allow either an artist to do an initial drawing on the canvas to be colored in by users where each person can pick a favorite spot for the drone to paint.

And you can also use the mobile app to draw your own designs. It can be seen that graffiti is now catching up with the scientific development trend.

A protective net will be placed on the scaffolding’s cover so that people can use the drones to paint freely and safely.

There are still more possibilities to be unlocked for drones.

The post How are drones used for graffiti? appeared first on Drone Inner.

Will China Dominate UAV Technology?

Chinese consumer drone companies have been pace-setters in recent years, taking up more than 70% of global market share. Chinese military UAVs are also making significant progress. Swarm intelligence is the key to military artificial intelligence. In a recent flight experiment, the quantity of swarm fixed-wing UAV has reached 67, while the record was kept by US Navy at 50. This marks a significant breakthrough of China. It also means China has entered the first tier of UAV technology.

China has developed leading UAV technology, which is more advanced than that of US in a few fields. However, if China is to remain its juicy market share in consumer drones, the transition from functional drones to intelligent drones is necessary.

Portable drone Mavic is designed and produced by Chinese drone company DJI. When folded, it is the size of a water bottle. While the flight time of Mavic reached 27 minutes. GoPro released its Karma drone around the same time, which soon was recalled due to quality issues. Without intelligent features like obstacle sensing and automatic tracking, it is hardly a smart drone. Yang Jincai, President of Shenzhen UAV Industry Association said: “Everyday there is a new drone here in Shenzhen, the capital of drone.”

Shenzhen produces 70% consumer drones in the world. Giant like DJI and ZeroTech, or UAV start-ups, all rely on the mature electronic industry chain and government’s “Made in China 2025” strategy. The strategy is also beneficial to military drones. CH-5, China’s military UAV, has longer flight time and bigger bomb load than US Predator UAV.

Just in Aviation Industry Corporation of China, there are five crucial UAV lines including Long, Ying, Yiing, Bing and unmanned helicopter. In the 2016 Zhuhai Airshow, this company displayed their latest MagLev aircraft, which took an appearance of UFO in Sci-fi movies.

President Yang JIncai commented: “The manufacture of hardware and other industries are faced with the fourth industrial revolution.” Chinese corporations should make best of their advantages in software engineering and manufacture of intelligent hardware.

UAVs are the phosphor of “Made in China 2025”, requiring integration of more technologies including AI, VR and AR. Multiple cooperation is also needed to further the industry development.

The post Will China Dominate UAV Technology? appeared first on Drone Inner.

“A Worldwide “Industrial Revolution in the Sky” Ushered in by Drones

The drones have been acting as the eyes and ears of army. In recent years, with various advantages such as small size, cheap price and easy operation, drones are not only used in army now, but also in traditional aerial photography, logistics, industrial exploration and agricultural management as well as some other new fields.

Photo from the Internet

Earlier in July 2016, the Britain cops used a drone in finding the escaped lynx. According to Daily Mail, Devon and Cornwall Police are set to launch the first 24-hour drone unit in the UK. They’ll be used to help officers with investigations, by searching for missing people and taking photographs of crime scenes, for instance. Have you ever been caught in a situation where you failed to find the commodity in a supermarket? A drone may solve this problem. According to Fortune, a large-scale supermarket is going to get drone patent for in-store delivery. The idea is to free customers from having to walk across its super-sized emporiums to find what they want and from having to wait while employees return from far-away storerooms. If you order a cup of coffee in the supermarket, the drone will also delivery it for you.

With drones, the office workers no longer have to worry about their pets at home. An American business machine company plans to use drone as the “nurse” and “trainer” for pets. This drone will be equipped with a microphone to detect pets’ cry or bark and a temperature sensor to detect whether the pets have a fever. The drone can also track the pets’ activity area to confirm whether the pets have entered restricted area. While playing with the pet, the drone can also give “verbal praise” or drop a piece of food as a reward. When the drone detects that the pets need to answer a call of nature, it will work cooperatively with other intelligent smart home equipment to let the pets go out.

As the application fields extend, drones’ intelligent operation capacity has been improved. It is said that the Russian drone pilots may soon get a revolutionary virtual reality helmet to pilot unmanned aircraft and get an HD view of terrain and enemy targets. In 2016, a Norwegian laboratory showed their idiodynamic drone that they have been developing. With just a blink of your eyes, the drone can turn the pilot’s brainwave into flight signals.

In rencent years, the drone industry is growing fast in the world. People’s recognition and demand for drones are increasing. With more and more powerful functions, the drones will definitely usher in a worldwide “industrial revolution in the sky”.

The post “A Worldwide “Industrial Revolution in the Sky” Ushered in by Drones appeared first on Drone Inner.

Drones: An Evolving New Tool for Realtors

Drones are transforming a variety of industries, from delivery services through to inspecting solar panels and everything in between. One pioneering sector that long ago embraced drone technology is real estate. Back in 2012, when drones were still in their infancy, realty commentators like Anita Cooper broadened the industry for the new breed of airborne robots by writing educational articles in trade magazines and websites. With the passage of time, drones have now become a crutial part of the realty business landscape.

Ernie Miller of Cecil County, for example, has been an avid cinematographer since childhood. He has integrated that passion into his realty day job by capturing shots of properties with a drone. To do so legally in the USA, realtors must have an appropriate exemption or pass the Part 107 exam from the FAA.

Ernie uses a Phantom 4 aircraft manufactured by the drone industry leader, DJI. The Phantom 4 has a 4K camera, can travel up to 4.3 miles from the operator and has a front-facing obstacle sensing system. The camera can capture butter-smooth, fluid shots which is a crucial feature for real estate footage.

Miller explains the virtues of using drones, particularly in rural areas, “it is ideal when you have a large property or a farm,” he explains. “It’s also great for waterfront properties. Shooting from the air gives you a good angle of the property from the water. You are able to get the dock and the home in the background. Getting a shot from a boat, you don’t get the scope of the property like you do shooting from a drone.”

Hud Benson, is another local realtor who utilizes drones. He began his drone journey using the DJI Phantom 2 Vision in 2014.

The legacy drone models used by both Miller and Benson have been superseded by far more capable aircraft, recently launched by DJI. Notably, the Phantom 4 Professional has a 1-inch 20MP CMOS sensor able to capture 4K-resolution at 60fps. The aircraft boasts a network of forward, rear, side and downward sensors for obstacle avoidance.

The brand new Phantom 4 Advanced released by DJI in April 2017 features an identical camera sensor to the Phantom 4 Professional, but does not have the rear and side obstacle avoidance sensors.

With both models you get the option to have DJI’s remote controller with an integrated high-brightness display.

The advantage of using a drone for real estate is that the full overview of a property can be captured – cheaply. The only alternative would be using an expensive helicopter or airplane. Luxury properties, in particular, benefit from the characteristic cinematic long sweeping shot that can be achieved with a drone.

“I have used my drone to shoot farms that are for sale,” Benson comments, “it is also a nice tool for doing an elevation photo of a home in a case where the neighborhood is an asset and you want to show where that home is in relationship to the other homes and the surroundings.”

Very generously, Benson also frames an aerial shot of a property and gifts that to the realty customer after they transition into their new home.

As evidenced by both Miller and Benson, realtors have much to gain from incorporating drones into their workflow. Utilizing drones in the realty sector will only become more popular as this astounding technology continues to evolve.

 

 

 

The post Drones: An Evolving New Tool for Realtors appeared first on Drone Inner.

News from DJI: Drones Save Lives

Unmanned aerial vehicles have become increasingly popular in the last several years amongst hobbyists. Taking photographs of beautiful sunsets, capturing cinematic videos of sweeping landscapes or racing aircraft competitively against friends have all become aerial shot staples.

However, drones have far more capabilities than just capturing artistic shots and racing.

One unsung, less publicized aspect of drones is their contribution to humanitarian endeavors; the simple ability of drones to save lives. This phenomenon has piqued little significant public interest until now.

The global leader in the manufacturing of drones, DJI, has released verified data concerning incidents where drones have come to the rescue.

The company has compiled cases where DJI aircraft and the aircraft of competing manufacturers have played a significant role in saving lives. Inevitably, far more cases have occurred on a daily basis across the globe but have gone largely unreported.

In one incident in China, a DJI Phantom lowered supplies to distressed people who were standing aloft a mountain of flood-water debris.

Admittedly, with recent advances in technology, there are now more elaborately engineered drones that can be customized for such tasks.

For example, the recently released M200 from DJI is a multi-purpose platform that could be potentially customized for humanitarian purposes.

The M200 models are water resistant with an IP43 rating. The aircraft also has a hot-swappable dual battery system and a 35-minute flight time which helps in conducting longer flights. The aircraft’s safety features include obstacle avoidance sensors facing forward, up and down, as well as an ADS-B receiver for receiving advisory information from manned aircraft close by. Compatible cameras are the DJI XT, X4S, X5S and Z30.

With the Z30 camera the operator can zoom in for a closer inspection of a disaster area. The infrared XT camera can see heat signatures of people in search and rescue scenarios. The M210 RTK is identical to the M210 but has an additional RTK unit which ensures centimeter precision navigation.

A variety of other examples of drones playing a crucial role in saving lives include rescuers in Turkey who deployed a drone to locate a lost film crew – some members of which began to suffer from hypothermia. A pair of kayakers in South Carolina were located during nightfall by first responders using a drone equipped with thermal imaging. In Canada, a drone with an infrared camera helped first responders find people lost in snow.

It is evident with these and other examples, that drones can play a significant role in helping first responders save lives in perilous situations. As more drone aircraft are deployed in these scenarios, more impressive heroic stories like those detailed above will arise.

 

The post News from DJI: Drones Save Lives appeared first on Drone Inner.

DJI Leads the Way in New Report About Lifesaving Drones

DJI reported Lives Saved: A Survey of Drones in Action, DJI compiled a number of reported cases of lives being saved by drones. DJI, the largest consumer drone manufacturer, has maintained a consistent record of working against needless and complicated restrictions over airspace and flight regulations. Recently we’ve seen them up against a recent threat level classification by the FAA which would place many toys and consumer drones in a higher threat category than necessary. As part of the Drone Manufacturer’s Alliance, they are also up against a recent change to Canada’s drone airspace regulations that makes flying more restrictive for hobbyists.

After even a cursory glance at DJI’s report, it’s apparent that DJI aircrafts are the stars in over half of the cases (at least 10/18, though in some cases the drone used was not mentioned). So why are DJI aircrafts featured in the majority? Of course one can say DJI is keen on focusing on their own aircraft, but as described above, their motivation isn’t entirely selfish as any case where a drone was essential to someone’s safety was included in this report.

Here are a few practical reasons why DJI aircrafts across the board are used for public safety:

1) Presumably main reason of course is availability. DJI has captured so much of the market (about 70%) with their aircrafts that nearly anywhere a disaster or emergency occurs there is a DJI aircraft within a few miles.

2) DJI drones are also almost always immediately ready to fly. The batteries charge in about an hour and most pilots have charged batteries on hand. It takes most DJI aircraft less than 2 minutes to get up in the air whereas some others have significantly longer setup times.

Joshua (TX) Fire Department.

3) Range and flight time. DJI aircrafts like the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro have the longest range and flight times of any consumer or enterprise drone on the market, by far. With and off the shelf range of 5 miles and flight times pushing 30 minutes per battery, even amateur pilots can survey huge areas for maximum coverage.

4) The quality of the video feeds coming from DJI aircrafts is high enough quality for previously invisible details to be seen from afar. 1080p video is pretty much necessary when you are flying up to 400 feet in the air. The videos themselves when grabbed from the onboard SD cards are full 4k, so even tiny details can be seen.

Photo: Midway Fire Rescue

5) Thermal and zoom cameras. DJI crafts like the Matrice and Inspire lines can carry an array of cameras. The 2 most commonly featured in Search and Rescue and public safety cases are the Zenmuse XT (thermal) and Z30 (zoom). The XT offers stabilized and glitch free video whereas other aircrafts with thermal cameras send a jerky and static ridden video back to the pilot – making the already low resolution thermal image even harder to view. The Z30 is one of the only affordable high-zoom cameras available for commercial drones and can only be mounted to DJI drones.

Overall, it’s fantastic to see a company as large as DJI working for pilots. If it were left up to regulatory agencies, restrictions may be even tougher on using drones for safety. We need a major manufacturer to be a voice of reason and show how powerful a tool for public health drones can be.

The post DJI Leads the Way in New Report About Lifesaving Drones appeared first on Drone Inner.

Drone Technology Descends on the Agriculture Industry

At this year’s SIMA in Paris, one of the most important international agricultural business trade shows in the world, farmers and agricultural industry executives were introduced to a number of drones specifically designed to help farmers around the world work smarter and more efficiently in areas such as crop inspection, irrigation management, crop consulting and spraying.  By utilising innovative drone technology coupled with the very latest software farmers are able to reduce the time it takes to complete routine tasks, maximise crop yields and ultimately increase their profits.

SIMA 2017 Credit: DJI

One of the stars of the show was DJI’s AGRAS MG-1S, an upgrade of the DJI AGRAS MG-1 which was launched back in 2015.The AGRAS MG-1S integrates a number of cutting-edge DJI technologies, including the new A3 Flight Controller which has an algorithm optimised for agricultural use ensuring stable flight even with sloshing liquids disrupting the balance of the aerial platform. The radar system is made up of three high-precision, millimetre wave radars that are placed on the front slope, rear slope and the bottom of the spray tank. Radars on the front and the rear slopes of the spray tank detect the terrain allowing the aircraft to adjust its height. The downward radar then provides high-precision height. As the radars scan, the MG-1S is able to perceive the change of terrain, adjust its altitude and maintain its altitude above the crops providing additional reliability during flight. When paired with the MG Intelligent Operation Planning System and the DJI Agriculture Management Platform, farmers are able to work with a powerful tool to plan operations, manage flights in real-time, and closely monitor the aircraft operating status.

DJI AGRAS-MG-1S Credit:DJI

Farmers increase profits with dedicated software

To get the most from drone technology farmers should choose a software package that allows them to fully exploit using an aerial platform like the AGRAS MG-1S or DJI Matrice platforms.

The DJI Smarter Farming package is an end to end solution for precision agriculture. The package enables complete crop analysis management  thanks to DJI’s aerial mapping technology and the use of PrecisionHawk software. Farmers are not only able to complete tasks much quicker but they are also able to get a more precise picture of the health of their fields.

A healthy future for technology in the agriculture industry

Traditionally farmers have had to spend many hours in their fields to carry out their day-to-day work but with over 230,000 visitors from five continents to SIMA, it’s clear that farmers are ready and willing to embrace the very latest innovative technology to save time and grow both their fields and businesses.

 

 

The post Drone Technology Descends on the Agriculture Industry appeared first on Drone Inner.

Car License for Drones?

On March 22, 2017, global leader in consumer drone manufacturing DJI published a white paper that brings innovative thought-leadership to industry regulation. With the occasional media stories of privacy intrusion or drones being used for nefarious purposes, there is an increasing call for more robust governance.

Currently the US has a registration process, so if for any reason a drone gets into the hands of authorities following an infraction, the registration number can be verified against a database and the owner identified. However, in the case of a real-time incident where the aircraft is aloft, still hovering high in the sky so no registration number or identifier is visible, it would be difficult for authorities on the ground to be able to act.  For example, if a drone flies over a National Park, which is largely prohibited in the USA, and then the aircraft disappears from sight, how is an observing Police Officer or Park Ranger able to determine the culprit?

For this reason, DJI has suggested a unique, real-time solution to identification. Every drone would transmit, by radio, its location as well as a registration or other unique code.

DJI’s idea is that each drone has an inexpensive system on board that broadcasts its location and an identification number so that a person on the ground with the correct equipment can receive the broadcast. The name and address of the owner would not be revealed at that point, hence maintaining the owner’s privacy. Only law enforcement or FAA authorities would have that capability.

Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs commented, “DJI understands that accountability is a key part of responsible drone use, and we have outlined a proposal that balances the privacy of drone operators with the legitimate concerns authorities have about some drone operations,” he continues, “this is another example of how the UAS industry is innovating solutions to emerging concerns, and we look forward to working with other stakeholders on how to implement the best possible system.”

The FAA was instructed by Congress to develop ways to identify pilots of drones and was given a 2-year deadline to do so. DJI’s white paper is suggesting a workable solution. The system has been likened to cars having a license plate; anyone can see the plate but only authorities can identify the name and address of the owner.

The technology that DJI is suggesting could easily be integrated into drones. For example, DJI’s most recent releases, primarily the DJI Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Professional, M200 and Inspire 2 (with X5S camera) would all be suitable candidates as could all other aircraft in the DJI fleet.

The technical solution that has been suggested by DJI is relatively simple to implement and if widely adopted by all drone industry manufacturers, could go one step closer to making these flying miracles safer for the whole community.

The post Car License for Drones? appeared first on Drone Inner.

Yearly review on drone and VR/AR: which industry is heavily bubbled?

2016 was a hard year for many drone companies: Zano and Lily failed to bring out products, GoPro is having problem re-launch its Karma. 3D Robotics decided to quit the competition of consumer drones and turn to industrial drones. Other companies, including Zerotech, Yuneec and Parrot, reduced their work force. Media begin to hold doubts on the industry—is it heavily bubbled? It’s already March of 2017, what will drone companies do this year? How will the industry perform?

Influence of capital

VR and AR industry had very similar experience like drone industry from 2015 to 2016. Once so promising, VR/AR suddenly entered winter in later half of 2016. HTC Vive has got really good sales numbers, but HTC’s financial quarter report shows the income fell by 64% year on year. Facebook shut down over 200 experience stores. Just like Recode once pointed out, VR age is still far away.

The reshuffle of drone market could be a result of globally decreased investment. According to KPMG, venture investment has plummeted compared to 2015.  Hot money were thrown into drone, VR and AR in 2015, stirring intense completions.

According to Market Watch, the investment for drone market has dropped drastically in late 2016. VR and AR are having shrinking investment. Large proportion of these companies are start-ups. When investment stops pumping in, the supply chain, would be endangered. Drone start-ups will fall into deep financial crisis.

Facing similar difficulties, the environment of drone market is quite different from that of VR/AR.

Is drone market heavily bubbled?

What kind of AR/VR products do we want? In what scenario do we need them for? These are questions we are still trying to figure out. But drones are quite different, they have simple appearance and clear features: they are convenient, reliable and intelligent aircrafts.

In my point of view, VR /AR industry is based ‘future demands’, which are not very urgent today. But Intelligent aircrafts are already improving efficiency of various industries: military, agriculture, security control, search and rescue, television and filming etc. The demand for UAVs has been expanding steadily since 2013. IDC Report of 2016 pointed out that DJI’s market share in China dropped for a while. This aroused doubt that drone industry has peaked. In fact, the reasons behind could be much more complex.

Foldable Mavic Pro was a blast to drone industry. It has sparked unexpected enthusiasm, even DJI was surprised by flooding orders of Mavic Pro, so it has been out of stock for quite a while. Fool.com estimates that DJI’s revenue in 2016 may hit $10 billion, increasing ten times of what was anticipated. For now it’s hard to tell how big drone industry is, but Mavic Pro at least proved that consumer drones are truly needed.

So drone market didn’t reach saturation. 2016 witnessed a very unique drone market influenced by capital.

Supply chain

UAV and AR/VR products are very different in terms of production. When a drone company is short of fund, it might be faced with huge pressures from its supply chain.

There are various VR/AR products on market now, many of which are low-end products. These products do not need highly advanced technologies and cost little. Even high-end product like panorama camera is not very difficult to handle—at least not dangerous. So short of fund is not that precarious for VR/AR companies.

Drones are quite different. If a drone crashes during flight, it could lead to serious consequence. Thus, consumers are expecting high-quality drones. Which means the process of R&D and production must be highly strict.

With lower costs, VR/AR products are sold at lower prices than UAVs, which means mass production is easier. The price of drones is less flexible with high costs. When the comments of a drone are not positive, it’s really hard to sell. This in return puts lots of pressure on supply chain.

The threshold for drone market is actually really high. Only mature companies are able to control supply chain and manage their products. In 2015, DJI sold its Phantom 3 Professional at $1259, while 3D Robotics sold its solo drone at $1700. Chris Anderson, CEO of 3D Robotics commented that ‘no one but DJI won this brutal price war’. By early 2016, the stock of solo drone has reached 60,000, draining up the cash of 3D Robotics. Soon 3DR quit consumer drone market silently.

Will DJI remain the unicorn?

Drone technologies are more mature than that of AR/VR, and have been used for quite a few years. As the profit rate decreases, it would be harder and harder for others to keep up with DJI. With inferior technologies, these drones are less attractive to consumers, which in return affect R&D input. The gap between DJI and new drone companies will be widened.

Taking Xiaomi Drone for example. As a smartphone giant, Xiaomi has huge advantages on supply chain. So many were very optimistic about it entering drone industry. However, the result was not satisfying. It turned out that Xiaomi Drone has similar features and functions of Phantom 3, which was released in 2015. Public started to realize Xiaomi is lagged far behind of DJI in terms of technology.

Other portable drones like Dobby and Breeze have unsatisfying features: short video transmission range, short flight time and low-quality footage. By the end of 2016, both companies had to lay off. But Mavic Pro showed the market how DJI managed to miniaturize a drone without compromising its performance. Media around world gave it positive reviews, TIME magazine even named Mavic Pro as one of the ‘Best Inventions of 2016’. Its success once again proved DJI has far advanced technologies than the rest.

With lower profit rate, drone companies are more vulnerable than AR/VR companies are. When the investors are throwing in less money, the R&D and production of new drones will be severely influenced, which would eventually lay bad influence the sales of new products.

What will drone market like in 2017?

In conclusion, 2016 marked the reshuffle of drone market. The market remain stable, but has changed a lot since two years ago. In 2014, DJI was only slightly ahead than others. When it came to 2016, other companies were left way behind.

As many companies have been driven out of drone market, those who have survived mainly choose to develop industrial drones (just like 3D Robotics did). Can they find their places in the market of industrial applications? Is industrial drone market an ‘asylum’ for these companies? We will have to wait and see.

When the investment slows down, companies that are weak in R&D and supply chain would be ruled out. The reshuffle of drone market is not necessarily bad: it makes room for strong competitors in terms of market share, talent and capital.

The post Yearly review on drone and VR/AR: which industry is heavily bubbled? appeared first on Drone Inner.

Review on OnePlus 3T Smartphone

With 16M pixels for both front and rear cameras, OnePlus 3T is really good tool to capture your life moments.

Appearance

With most smartphones being white, OnePlus 3T ‘s black shell looks really delicate.

Except the handset and front camera, sensors have been hidden inside, showing a sense of simplicity.

AMOLED screen is actually less blue that the picture.

The home button can’t be pressed down, just as any of their smartphones.

But the button and screen used different materials (glass for screen and porcelain for home button), so the home button seems a little bit inconsistent.

The home button of iPhone 7 Plus can’t be presses down, either. But with an in-built TAPTIC ENGINE, its home button would react with different levels of vibration according to your strength.

But the linear motor of OnePlus 3T only provides one level of vibration.

But it recognize finger prints really fast.

The screen uses 2.5D glass. The dispensing layer (to absorb shakings) is really thick—it seems the company is afraid it may fall apart if user drops it.

The color of shell is gunmetal (darker than normal grey) and really smooth to touch.

It also has clear lines and an edgy look, guys may prefer a smartphone like this.

The colors of OnePlus 3T looks really eye-pleasing.

Although the metal shell is not very comfortable to hold.

The button in picture above is very special: you can switch between Mute/Silent/Ring. Innovative design like this is pretty nice.

Unfortunately, the rear camera sticks out a little bit, making the smartphone very unstable when put on table.

HydrogenOS

The desktop of HydrogenOS looks quite good.

Great color schemes, cool layout. HydrogenOS 2.5 provides multiple choices, desktop mode has also been optimized.

There is nothing really surprising except the Hydrogen Desktop.

Slide to the right, you will access to Hydrogen Window (looks similar to iOS)

The UI seems simple. There is no Cloud access nor screenshots, using dual-system or using dual apps simultaneously is also not applicable.

In conclusion, HydrogenOS 2.5 seems a half-finished system to me.

Now let’s look at its camera.

Camera

This camera would be a flagship smartphone camera in early 2016 (like Xiaomi 5)

But this year, iPhone 7 Plus have obviously become the leader.

OnePlus 3T’s camera is fine, but not advancing.

Now let’s see photo samples.

First sample group: (shot in a cloudy day)

From left to right:

Xiaomi Note2 > OnePlus 3T > iPhone 7 Plus

The white balance of 3T is terrible. Except that, the photo looks OK.

Xiaomi Note2 had trouble focusing on the flowers, but presented vivid colors.

The photo shot by iPhone 7 Plus was a little overexposed, the saturation was low, too.

Second sample group

Xiaomi Note2 > OnePlus 3T > iPhone 7 Plus

Three pictures were quite similar.

There is a HQ (High Quality) feature in 3T’s camera.

When you use this function, the camera would shot several pictures quickly, then generate one photo of higher definition. Is it really useful? Let’s have a look:

The difference between HQ and Non-HQ photo of 3T is quite clear.

Despite its 16M pixels, 3T has a much lower resolution than iPhone 7 Plus and Xiaomi Note 2 (22.4M pixels).

Photos processed by 3T’s software is still not satisfying, which means hardware is much more important.

3T’s official photo sample

Charging

OnePlus 3T’s Dash Charge uses a 5V/4A standard (while that of Qualcomm is 9V/2A), it increases the current while decreasing the voltage.

Picture above shows charging process of 3T, Samsung S7 Edge and Google Pixel XL. You can get 3T charged to 80% in 60 minutes while playing game. That’s impressive.

Anyway, if you want to want to use Dash Charge, you will need stick with OnePlus’s  Dash Power Bundle.

If you use other chargers, the charging speed of 3T will be much slower.

Just like any other smartphone, OnePlus 3T is not perfect. It has a nice appearance and innovative Hydrogen OS system. But the camera is hardly satisfying.

With a few flaws, it can still be a cool choice for some consumers.

 

The post Review on OnePlus 3T Smartphone appeared first on Drone Inner.