NAB 2017 – Must See Attractions

This year at NAB Show in the Las Vegas convention center, the 1 million square feet of floor space will have specialized segments called pavilions or attractions, each focused on a specific industry or location. There are 27 different pavilions announced and with such a large floor plan it may be difficult to know where to concentrate your efforts. Here are what we consider the top most exciting attractions.

(screenshot from NABSHOW website)

Aerial Robotics and Drone Pavilion

“Find the industry’s leading experts ready to take you through all the aspects of employing aerial technology and couple that with dynamic exhibitor demonstrations built to give you an up-close and personal look at the latest technologies in action.”

Here we’ll see the latest in drone tech and a number of really exciting sessions like the Aerial Cinematography Techniques Field Workshop. This is a hands-on training course in which new pilots will be flying with professionals to learn standard practices and more. Drones: The Future is up in the Air focuses on regulations, rules, and the volatile nature of public and governmental perception of drones.

Undoubtedly there will be announcements of new drone tech. Recently DJI has been releasing announcements of new products left and right, so we’re excited to see what they have to show us at their booth in the Central Hall of the convention center.

Virtual and Augmented Reality Pavilion

“Get your hands on the latest augmented and virtual reality equipment and software. The AR VR Pavilion features the leading content producers and tech companies building the future and changing the way we consume information.”

This pavilion has too many sessions to count with topics ranging from the technology that is driving it to the content that is being created for it. NAB will be a great opportunity for us to see how the industry chooses to progress.

(photo from http://ift.tt/2qyfddq)

Facebook Live Video Solutions Pavilion

“Facebook has identified a set of tools and platforms that help publishers optimize their Facebook Live broadcasts. At the 2017 NAB Show, a selection of vendors will be on-hand to demo these tools and platforms, which can help take your Facebook Live productions to the next level.”

Such interesting sessions will be A New Era of Live Entertainment Streaming and The Future of Live Streaming will tackle ideas addressing the future of live streaming. The session Broadcasting Live on the Go: How to Livecast from Mobile Devices will also include a lesson on live streaming from DJI GO, the app used in conjunction with their smartphone stabilizer. The technology has finally caught up to consumer needs. Content creators are jumping on this medium and this pavilion will tackle what the future will look like.

 

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Will the Karma drone sales be enough to revive the GoPro?

According Recode’ source, GoPro will cut approximately 270 more jobs, or about 17 percent of its workforce based on its headcount at the end of last year. That’s on top of the 200 positions the company said it would eliminate in November. The recent job cuts were made mostly in the company’s virtual reality and broadcasting wings, claiming that “no one is left” to supervise the departments. Those cuts would certainly reflect Woodman’s CES assertions that GoPro is looking to shift its focus to a core set of products.

Just in case you didn’t know, GoPro cut 100 jobs in January 2016 and 200 more after the Mavic launch in November 2016. So the company’s workforce has shrunk by almost 25% since the beginning of last year.

GoPro primarily sells action-oriented cameras, but it recently made a foray into drones. The company’s foldable Karma drone is back for sale after an embarrassing recall. Some customers complained of a power failure that caused the aircraft to fall from the sky, leading to the recall.

Now the hyped Karma drone is back,how about the updated one?

Theverge has got another review unit.

As reviewed by Theverge, the Karma can’t autonomously follow you around. Its battery life is on the low end, and its range is much shorter than its main competitors. It doesn’t have fancy sensors to help it stabilize indoors or avoid obstacles. It’s akin to releasing a flagship smartphone in 2016 that didn’t have a fingerprint sensor or front-facing camera.

It concluded that the GoPro Karma is not a great drone by today’s standards. It’s basic, kind of like a mid-tier Android smartphone that checks all the boxes that more trailblazing units have established over the last few years. It may be a nice starter kit if you own a GoPro. If you don’t need a handheld stabilizer or don’t own a GoPro, there is no reason to settle for a drone with a spotty track record and a total lack of cutting-edge features.

Will the drone sales be enough to revive the floundering company? It seems that though the Karma drone is back on sale, existence of the DJI Mavic has completely blocked their way into the drone market.

Thank you for reading!

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Snapchat drone: the next Lily?

Snap is the company that owns one of the hottest social media apps Snapchat. But recently the company has worked on building its own Snapchat drone according to a report from The New York Times. It is said to have worked on a drone that would connect to the iOS and Android Snapchat app and let users take photos and videos from aerial angles and is believed to also have investigated and built a 360-degree camera. Details about the drone and any of its other capabilities remain under wraps, but the work is said to help Snap “bolster” its repositioning and rebranding as a modern-day camera company.

Business Insider reported that Snap has been in conversations with drone companies. Snap was interested in an acquisition with Lily Robotics which offers a drone that tracks and follows its owners and simultaneously shoots video, creating a hands-free recording experience similar to Hover Camera.

Let’s take a loot at Lily selfie drone firstly.

Shaped like a giant M&M with propellers, it measures 3 inches high (80mm) and roughly 10 inches square (260mm) and weighs 2.8 pounds (1300g) — and toss it in the air and its motors will kick in automatically as the drone takes flight. The body is completely sealed, too, so along with flying it in the rain or snow, you can actually toss it into water.

There is no radio controller for the Lily Camera drone, or at least it’s not a typical one with sticks and switches.

Out in front of Lily Camera drone is a built-in camera that uses the same 12-megapixel Sony sensor found in the GoPro Hero3and Ion Air Pro 3 action cams. Along with 12-megapixel stills, that camera can capture 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second or 720p at 120fps. Plus, the tracker has a built-in mic that’s synced with the camera, allowing you to capture audio from the ground.

It has a limited range. Altitude is set from 5 feet (1.75 meter) above you to a maximum of 50 feet (15m) with a minimum distance of 5 feet from you to a maximum of 100 feet (30m). It can reach a top speed of 25mph (40kmph).

Other issues are that it lacks gimbal and remote controller.

So is the Snapchat drone more innovative than the Lily drone? What can we expect from the Snap Drone? Would you buy a Snapchat drone? Let us know in the comments below.

 

 

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DJI Mavic competitor from ZeroTech…

DJI’s first foldable drone Mavic Pro is sought after as soon as it hit the market. Now another Chinese brand ZeroTech, maker of the Dobby, has introduced a similar product, a DJI Mavic competitor.

The aircraft can also be folded, which is almost the same size as the Dobby. At first glance, it’s very similar to DJI Mavic, but different in details. Such as the smaller size, the battery installation and the configuration. It seems it aims at hobby market.

The photos published on drone-rumour site sb-dji.com suggest a folding format drone. Specifications which at this time are rumor/speculation stand as follows:

• Approximately 7-15 minutes flight-time.
• 1.5km flight distance/range.
• Folding propellers.

The industry predicts that the performance of the drone will not be very high, at least is less powerful than Mavic Pro. The advantage is its price, it should be somewhere within $500 USD

What are your thoughts about the competitor? Please let us know in the comment below.

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It is GoPro Karma again?！

GoPro Karma drone has had a bit of a troubled recent history since it was first introduced last year. After being delayed throughout most of 2016, it finally went on sale in October, only to be recalled in November due to what the camera company later said was a faulty battery latch, which could cause the batteries to lose power mid-flight.

Three months off the market, the GoPro Karma went up for sale again at the beginning of February. However, it reportedly crashed into a New York City apartment window according to the New York Post at the end of February.

A GoPro Karma drone smashed though the window of a 66-year-old lady living on the 27th floor of 20 Waterside Plaza in Manhattan, New York. The woman was working on a computer when the drone smashed right though her window and fell within 4 feet of her. Currently, the Police and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the accident. They are planning to use the drone’s serial number to locate the drone owner in the FAA’s database.

Scan some comments to discover reviews like “This sounds hoax. 27th floor windows won’t break that easily, and no point in throwing shit on a brand for “being unreliable”… all drones are unreliable to a degree.”

However, the news is absolutely real. New York Post has reported this issue. The building is about 30 years old with smaller windows, not floor to ceiling commercial windows. Some pilots added, “If I was choosing a drone to fly around Manhattan illegally or not, I wouldn’t choose one prone to drift without avoidance technologies available at the same price. The GoPro Karma is a clumsy drone, whether a gust of wind took it or not, it had too many things going against it in the first place, before it took off. Now we all suffer as a result of poor drawing board choices.”

All drones are unreliable? I think it depends on two factors. One is what kind of drones do you choose. As the GoPro Karma lacks features such as obstacle avoidance and “Follow Me” mode, so you should find a deserted wide open field with no obstacles. If you want to fly around Manhattan, then some drones like the Phantom 4/4 Pro and Mavic Pro which have obstacle avoidance may be a better choice. The other thing is that the drone operators make safe flying their priority. Although drone manufacturers are doing everything technically possible to ensure flight safety, drone enthusiasts must also do their part.

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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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Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K: finally on sale from March 3 with many improvements!

Despite the Xiaomi Mi Drone was presented last May in two configurations, one can produce videos in 1080p and 4K in the other, only the first was actually marketed, while the second have simply gone missing.

But then, Xiaomi has announced that the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K will be listed on March 3 with a price of 2,999 yuan (~$436), whereas the battery for the same will be priced at 499 yuan (~$72).

Of course, as always happens with Xiaomi products, these will not be available directly from us, but you can only buy them in China, on Xiaomi’s own online store, as well as a few other places such as Jingdong Mall and Suning, just to name a couple. Apparently, however, in addition to the best resolution video, the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K will be released with better software optimization and five major hardware upgrades.

Compared to the old version, in fact, will be present two sets of independent movement of IMU and compass sensors to ensure a better accuracy in the flight data and, in case of failure, to restore stability and the flight safety.

Also the remote control system has been improved, so as to reduce the contact loss and giving the possibility of tracing the position in real time even in case of failure, when it is calculated in real time the power required to return to base. Even in case of lack of charge, then the user will be automatically notified the need to return, also calculating the routes so to avoid the no-fly zone.

The body of the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K was made with a constructive process of 1.2 mm, has four lithium polymer batteries from 4.35V and 5100 mAh capacity for a total power of 77,52Wh and autonomy up to 26 minutes.

The photo sensor is a Sony backlit 12 megapixels, with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels and support for RAW images. Compared to the previous version, Mi drone 4K is equipped with TDMA technology to transmit images with stronger signal and a transmission distance of less than 4 km, compared to 1 km of the old version 1080P.

The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K, then, is equipped with a self-stabilizing head brushless 3-axis which incorporates a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis accelerometer and a brushless motor to 3 axes, able to perform data acquisition and calculation of compensation up to 2000 times per second, giving the camera a level of stability and remarkable precision.

The feet landing of the drone, then, are foldable, combined with the light weight of the device, making it very well transportable.

 

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What to expect from the relaunched GoPro Karma?

The famous manufacturer of miniature cameras GoPro presented on September 20 his long awaited quadcopter, the Karma drone, putting an end to a long campaign of mouthing. But he took it off the market 20 days later, on November 10: the drone was likely to go out suddenly in flight and fall in free fall.

Nearly three months later, GoPro identified and solved the problem.GoPro has improved the battery latch of the device to avoid it from slipping out of place which leads to a loss of power. This design reportedly keeps the battery intact and in place even when there are strong vibrations of the drone.

Aside from this, the GoPro Karma drone maintains its portability compared to other drones available to the public. It was reported that the drone also has the removable gimbal stabilizer.

The GoPro Karma is basically available in the two options. One is Karma without a GoPro camera which costs $799.99 and the other is Karma bundled with GoPro Hero5 Black which will cost $1099.99. There is also a Flight Kit for Karma Grip owners which will be available in April for $599.99.

Nick Woodman, GoPro Founder and CEO said:

“Karma is the ultimate aerial, handheld and wearable stabilization solution for the GoPro community. As the consumer drone market continues to grow, Karma delivers the most versatile solution at a very accessible price.”

GoPro remains number one of the miniature camera, but it is in difficulties. This announcement effectively succeeds several waves of layoffs and precedes the presentation of a new quarter of losses.

The brand counts more than ever on its Karma drone to take a new flight. Certainly, the convincing DJI Mavic Pro, of the number one of the drone, imposed itself in the meantime.

The GoPro Karma differentiates itself from the wide variety of drones on the market by having a removable stabilizer gimbal, which you can attach to the the included Karma Grip handle.Fans are looking forward on the improvements introduced for the redesigned GoPro Karma drone. Are you excited to try the re-released drone from GoPro?

 

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Yes,Lady Gaga offered something new with the drone in the Super Bowl halftime show

Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl 51 halftime show Sunday lighted up the sky with a coordinated swarm of several hundred aerial drones. The drone created a red and blue moving star formation; an American flag. They’re called Shooting Stars and were previously used in a holiday show at Disney World.

This is the latest project in Intel’s quest to take drones from individuals to fleets. This is Ender’s Game brought to life. Just as in Orson Scott Card’s book, one person commands the group, sending instructions and monitoring the drones’ health. And Intel says its limitless in its scale, able to control more than 10,000 drones at a time.

One of the secret to Intel’s Shooting Star program is a desktop software suite of programs. The drones’ routes are pre-programmed and each drone does its own thing. The drones do not talk to each other and they lack the hardware to detect collisions. The software determines routes that eliminates collisions.

The drone are simple. They’re about the weight of a volleyball. The housing is Styrofoam and there are simple metal cages around the four props. They are designed to be assembled in less than 15 minutes and Intel builds the drone in a facility in Germany. There are no screws and everything snaps together. And then on the bottom of the drone is the large, multicolored LED light that paints the sky.

It’s the first time drone have been used in a live TV event, and the first time the robotic aircraft have appeared in the Super Bowl.

 

 

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$15 000 000 USD was not enough to make Lily drone fly?

The Lily drone is so striking when the video was put online. After 60,000 pre-orders and $ 34 million raised, the company just announced that it would never go out. Just for the comparison, Hover Camera only raised $25M and delivered the final product to the customers. -Is it a good product? Not at all! But they made something real without complaining that they have no money.

The idea of Lily drone was good: a fully autonomous drone requiring no control to operate. The design was successful and had contributed to the total success of the crowdfunding campaign.

But it is at the financial level that the startup has not transformed, by failing to find enough funding from investors or banks to achieve production start-up. Seriously? $15 000 000 USD was not enough to make Lily drone fly? But Lily started to sell not existent product and got $ 34M on top of $15M. And now their excuse is that there was not enough money to manufacture the autonomous drone.

“We have been racing against a clock of ever-diminishing funds,” they said. “Over the past few months, we have tried to secure financing in order to unlock our manufacturing line and ship our first units — but have been unable to do this. As a result, we are deeply saddened to say that we are planning to wind down the company and offer refunds to customers.”

The founders announced that all backers would be reimbursed within 60 days. If your credit card has expired since then, you will need to fill out a form to receive the $ 500 you advanced.

The drones of the market now offer automatic tracking functionality of the remote control or a point of interest. The DJI Mavic Pro is doing very well for example. You can browse our guide of the five pocket sized drones.

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Hover Camera Passport at CES 2017

You are a follower of selfies and you want to take the height with dronies? The Hover Camera Passport we discovered at CES 2017 should become your new friend.

Remember the Lily drone? This quadcopter that follows you to film you with its function follow me. Since then, many drones have been set up and we have been able to meet the Hover Camera Passport, a foldable and compact drone that is carried everywhere with you. Its design does not mean a drone, but rather a bird that would be enclosed in a cage. Because the propellers are protected, impossible to cut their fingers on takeoff for example.

The drone is capable of filming in 4K and its camera is stabilized numerically. Its face recognition algorithms facilitate the flight in perfect autonomy, but the drone does not know how to avoid the obstacles. We are finally in the presence of a totally autonomous flying camera. Except that if we talk about autonomy, the Hover Camera Passport comes with only 8 minutes of flight time. It is shot, very shot!

It can fly at speeds up to 17mph (about a third of what the Phantom is capable of), but while you can take a big drone and fly it up to a mile away from home base, Hover Camera recommends that you keep the Passport within 65 feet (20 meters) of your phone. A short battery life is a big reason for that.

The Hover Camera Passport is available at 599 dollars, or about 600 euros once the various taxes are added. It is a bit expensive compared to a Bebop 2 of Parrot which has recently equipped with automatic tracking features and which is much more powerful.

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Are you ready for GoPro Karma’s re-launch?

On November 8th, 2016, GoPro issued a global recall for the Karma drone following cases of electrical failures causing a loss of power during flight. GoPro advises that owners can return their units to GoPro, or their place of purchase for a full refund.Will GoPro resume selling Karma?

The answer is yes, GoPro says it will be re-launching the Karma drone this year, though it doesn’t have a specific date to share yet.

For GoPro, the launch can’t come soon enough. The company said it would cut 15 percent of its workforce in a restructuring in November last year, and its third-quarter earnings report was nothing short of very bad. In the past year, the stock has been absolutely crushed, as major questions have arisen as to whether people basically need to buy new GoPro cameras.

The company said at CES that it is completing its testing and will have more details on the re-launch in early February. The whole “this year” is super vague, but it’s kind of to be expected for a company that’s going through a lot of turmoil as it tries to figure out what it looks like in 2017.

Anyway it’s good to see that GoPro is confident enough in the Karma to start providing a timetable, the news won’t be very comforting to prospective (and former) owners. It will have been roughly 3 months since the recall before GoPro even starts talking about the relaunch. Will buyers be enthusiastic after all that time, especially with both the recall and the competition lingering in the back of their minds? GoPro’s name is still synonymous with action video, but there’s a concern that it may have seriously hurt its chances at becoming an equally big name in the drone world.

 

 

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How to save Syria’s Palmyra with a drone?

The war in Syria has lots of people worried about the country’s future. But some are also worried about preserving Syria’s past.

Take the ancient city of Palmyra. ISIS militants destroyed part of it, and they rigged many of the sites there with explosives before they were driven out last spring.

So an architect working with the Syrian government had an idea: Send in a drone.

The result is an art exhibit, “Eternal Sites: From Bamiyan to Palmyra,” on display in Paris. French President François Hollande opened it, and The New York Times reports that he “described the works as ‘an act of resistance’ against terror and intolerance.”

How it got to Paris was a story itself. “The situation wasn’t very stable,” says Yves Ubelmann, co-founder of Iconem, the group behind the project. “It was difficult for us to stay on the site.”

But in the little time they did stay, much was done. Ubelmann says they used a drone that could take thousands of photographs per hour. It gave them plenty of data for use in recreating the ruins with 3D printing.

“We use a specific algorithm that is able to reconstruct a 3D model based on 2D pictures,” he says. “So we can put into this program the thousands of pictures and create a model of Palmyra that is picture-perfect.”

Ubelmann believes that heritage can be rebuilt digitally. He also says it’s a way to combat ISIS propaganda.

“We use a picture to show how nice these sites are. And I also think it’s a response to violent people who try to destroy sites like Palmyra and Bamiyan [in Afghanistan],” he says. “The problem is that this destruction is the result of ignorance. And if we give these people the culture and a way to love this heritage I think we can fight violence in this way.”

As for Palmyra, it’s still in a war zone. But Ubelmann hopes his team can return and protect what’s left.

( Via PRI )

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