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DJI and 3D Robotics team up for business-focused drone tools
For all their hobbyist applications, like photography and videography, drones are still primarily commercial tools. Thus, 3DR's partnership with DJI for the Enterprise Drone Platform. Specifically, the Enterprise Drone Platform will be integrated with DJI's UAVs and further expand its Site Scan system to incorporate the job-site surveying tech into the Chinese company's drones.
FAA considers rules allowing small drones to fly over people
Late last year the FAA implemented rules on drone registration, and now its working group of experts has submitted another set of recommendations. This time the focus is on rules for unmanned aircraft flights over people (who aren't directly involved in the flight of the aircraft), and just as earlier rumors indicated, the group decided that the best way to set regulations is based on the weight of the machine in question. Small drones weighing under 250g (0.55 pounds) could fly over people, depending on their design, while larger drones up to 4 - 5 pounds (the DJI Phantom 4 pictured above weighs 3 pounds) could do the same, depending on their design, if they stay 20 feet overhead or 10 feet away laterally.
Drone makers form their own political lobbying group
Big drone makers aren't satisfied with existing efforts to get in the US government's good books, apparently. DJI, 3D Robotics, GoPro and Parrot have forged the Drone Manufacturers Alliance to lobby for a "carefully balanced regulatory framework" that makes sure drones are "safely integrated" into American skies. In plainer language, they want to make sure that regulation doesn't run counter to their interests -- they don't want their business to fizzle out because of a future law.
3D Robotics: The future of drones needs to be smart yet simple
Quadcopters, drones, UAVs. Whatever you want to call them, they are an unavoidable part of our future according to 3DR CEO Chris Anderson. He should know, his company is the largest drone maker in America. Smart features that help enterprise and industry are pushing the limits of what's possible (and where it's possible). These are features that will trickle down the the drones you see on shelves. We spoke with him on stage to find out what likes ahead in the future of our skies.
Watch the premiere of 3DR's drone-shot series 'Life after Gravity'
For the most part, consumer drone videos are without narrative; beautiful sweeping views of the world. That's no bad thing, but 3D Robotics thinks we're missing the full potential that quadcopters have to offer. When it revealed its Solo "smart drone" earlier this year, it gave special attention to the camera-specific features -- such as a virtual cable cam, orbit mode and other cinematic options. In case you weren't convinced, 3D Robotics is driving the point home with an original sci-fi mini-series called Life after Gravity shot entirely with the Solo (and a GoPro, naturally). Each episode is accompanied by a blog post that talks you through the production, and details on how key shots were achieved. We're exclusively revealing the first episode right here.
3D Robotics' Solo drone is about to get a lot more useful
When 3D Robotics announced its Solo quadcopter, one of the more intriguing features was an accessory bay. Instead of opening up the Solo and wiring in, or screwing on an accessory (as is common with hobby drones -- including the ubiquitous Phantom 2), you would simply "plug and play." Until now, that's all we really knew, but today the company is announcing "Made for Solo" -- a program that will standardize, and encourage the development of third-party accessories for the self-proclaimed "smart drone." If you make infrared cameras, for example, you could make a version just for Solo and have it work seamlessly with the drone's GPS and smart flight modes. Basically, any gadget, sensor or product that could squeeze into, and be lifted by, a quadcopter could be integrated into the Solo as if it were native to the product.
Engadget giveaway: win a 3DR IRIS+ courtesy of InterDrone!
Drones are here to stay, so if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. InterDrone, the International Drone Conference and Exposition is coming up in September in Las Vegas and it will be the ultimate one stop shop for all things UAV. There will be over 100 panels, classes and keynotes to check out, along with drone building and flying conferences. 3DRobotics' Chris Anderson will be on hand for the keynote address, so it's not surprising that InterDrone provided us with a 3DR IRIS+ for one lucky Engadget reader this week. This quadcopter, once fitted with a GoPro and gimbal kit, will give you an eye in the sky, with modes for standard flight, hover and follow-along. The laws regarding flight may still be a grey area for some, but that's where events like InterDrone come in handy, especially if you're gearing up for commercial use. For now, you just need to head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this IRIS+ quadcopter. After that, the sky's the limit. Winner: congratulations to Tyler M. of Mississauga, ONT.
3D Robotics takes on DJI with Solo 'smart drone'
If you're in the market for a camera drone, things just got real. Last week, DJI updated its ubiquitous Phantom series with a 4K video version. Today, 3D Robotics (makers of both consumer and professional craft) ups the ante with Solo -- a stylish "ready to fly" quadcopter that challenges the Phantom (on the 'copter side of things) in quite a few ways. You'll need to bring your own camera though.
3D Robotics teases stylish drone with pro features
While 3D Robotics makes some amazing drones, it's not exactly known for its design flair. It seems that's about to change, according to a tease of a rakish new model, however. The video (below) is light on details, but we can glean a few things: for instance, it looks like it'll have first person view (FPV) flying out of the box, judging by an included phone clip. We'd guess you can also pre-program a flying route, and the dots on the case lid strongly imply follow-me settings. Lastly, it appears that 3DR has a sleek new gimbal design.
Create apps for your quadcopter with 3D Robotics' free 'DroneKit' software
3D Robotics develops the open source software that powers a lot of home brew UAVs. Today it's introducing a new tool to the public: DroneKit, software that allows anyone to create apps for, well, drones! DroneKit works with any craft that uses 3DR's "APM" autopilot (a small device you add to your 'copter), and apps can be created for Android, web and standalone "companion" devices (that you then connect to your quadcopter). What can you do with these apps? So far, mostly the same things you can do with existing flight planning software (like 3DR's own Tower app). That means controlling fly paths with waypoints, following GPS targets and access to all the telemetry of the drone. But, of course, now you can do it in new and creative ways. That's a good start, but its 3DRs promise to support the tool and keep adding new features that will change what we can do with these increasingly popular aerial craft.
3D Robotics' CEO weighs in on the future of drones
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511089{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511089, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511089{width:630px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-511089").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Twenty minutes with 3D Robotics' Chris Anderson just wasn't enough. After all, before he basically built one of the country's biggest drone makers, he served as editor-in-chief of the storied Wired Magazine (an... unorthodox career leap to say the least). In our wide-ranging conversation, Anderson explored the route that led him from journalism to hardware entrepreneurship, the company's work with Google to help drones scan and navigate the insides of building, and the policies that could shape the very future of our possibly drone-filled skies. Join us for more, won't you? All it takes is a single click above.
3D Robotics is building the drones that just about anyone can fly
The FAA might not know what to do with drones, but UAV technology is moving so fast we're thinking more "when," not "if" the skies will be filled with quadrocopters. To help more people jump into the future, 3D Robotics SVP of Sales and Marketing Colin Guinn joined us at Expand to show off the company's drone tech that makes the learning curve easier. He brought along the Iris+ drone, which expands upon the original model released last year by adding more autonomous smarts. Not only can it can take off and land by itself, but it can also orient around you for a third-person chase cam/drone selfie, or follow a predetermined, GPS-guided path to take aerial photography. It packs a GoPro-ready mount, datalink that lets you fly it from your PC/Android/iOS/etc. and is available now for $750. It can fly for a little over 20 minutes on a charge and just needs its propellers screwed on to work out of the box. If you've wanted to get into drones, but were concerned your first flight could be your last, the Iris+ was made with you in mind. Check out the full demo and discussion after the break to find out just how easy handling one of these can be.
60 seconds with a modular drone that packs a pro camera
We're entering a golden age of UAVs, with models ranging from hobbyist drones like the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 all the way up to DJI's DSLR-packing Spreading Wings S900 Hexacopter. So what could our Insert Coin semi-finalist drone possibly bring to the party? Ivan Stamatovski said he created the EasyDrone for one simple reason: portability. Unlike most commercial drones, the EasyDrone can be broken down into a relatively compact case and easily assembled without having to connect any wires. At the same time, it comes with all the capability of a high-end drone: video streaming, a built-in gimbal, the ability to carry heavier cameras like Sony's NEX models and a high-end navigation system from 3D Robotics.
3D Robotics launches Iris quadcopter, for pre-assembled drone action
3D Robotics has made it pretty clearly that it's all about the maker community. But what about those who can't tell their Arduino from a Raspberry Pi? The Chris Anderson-run company today announced the release of Iris, an out-of-the-box, user-friendly quadcopter experience. The drone can be controlled with an Android device (iOS coming soon), including single button takeoffs and landings. There's an ARM Cortex-M4 processor and a built-in data radio on-board, the latter of which will help you check out flight paths in real-time. There's also a spot for a GoPro Hero3, though that, naturally, will cost you ($400) extra. The configurable copter starts at $730. It's set to ship on September 16th.
Chris Anderson calls for consortium to develop a standardized UAV platform
"If you're in this room, you're the best of the best," Chris Anderson addressed the audience with his customary flair for the dramatic. Complimentary, sure, but not without merit -- the former Wired editor-in-chief was speaking to a classroom full of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) developers, a number of whom had been flown out on his company's dime to take part in DroneCon, the kickoff event for the SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition held in Boulder, Colo. Anderson's 3D Robotics organized a packed schedule of talks on the subject of UAVs, commencing with his own opening address. He closed his remarks by introducing the concept of the Dronecode Consortium, an attempt to create a governing body of sorts to help create standards for the platforms on which these commercial and hobbyist vehicles run. Still in its early stages (with only his own company on board, really), Anderson was purposely vague about the not-for-profit pursuit, though the initial stated goal is the creation of a support structure for developers and the "creation of a sustained operating system" and a "framework for deciding which hardware to support." When we spoke to him after the speech, however, he admitted that "operating system" might ultimately be a little less accurate than "platform" and "ecosystem." That said, Android is certainly a fair analogy in some respects, given the sort of oversight roles commercial organizations play in both open software scenarios. And with the standard, comes the potential for both commercial and personal projects to build atop it.
Robopocalypse: Now liveblog
We'll be discussing the history and near-future of robotics with luminaries from Willow Garage, Boston Dynamics (yes, the people behind Big Dog) and 3D Robotics. Our editor-in-chief, Tim Stevens, is orchestrating proceedings and we'll be liveblogging the whole event right here... in just a few minutes. March 17, 2013 2:15 PM EST
Live from Expand: Robopocalypse: Now (video)
Top honchos of 3D Robotics, Willow Garage and Boston Dynamics (yes, of BigDog fame) join us -- and some mechanical pals -- to discuss the past, present and future of robotics. March 17, 2013 2:15 PM EDT For a full list of Expand sessions, be sure to check out our event hub.
3D Robotics' Chris Anderson discusses a drone-filled future (video)
You'll likely miss 3D Robotics on first pass. The company's San Diego R&D facility is headquartered in an unassuming building amongst similarly nondescript offices in a maze of a business park. Enter through the back and you'll find yourself in the middle of a small manufacturing assembly, where industrial Pick and Place machines buzz loudly and a handful of women are QAing finished product. Until earlier this month, the site was mostly off the radar, save for a devoted group of online enthusiasts. Then, Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson announced he was leaving the magazine in order to head up the company. Anderson's off grabbing lunch as we arrive -- like us, just off a flight from the East Coast for a brief visit before jumping on yet another plane. He's in transition at the moment, as the head of both Wired and 3D Robotics, trying out his keycard for the first time as we set up our film equipment to interview the newly minted executive for an upcoming Engadget Show segment. Anderson's ties to the company go back to its inception, however, co-founding 3D Robotics with Jordi Muñoz, a 19-year-old living in Tijuana when the two first met through Anderson's DIY Drones online community.
