Personal Drones

This company was started by the former editor of Wired magazine. He has written an interesting article in NY times about why they chose to locate the factory in Tijuana rather than China. This is the hot 'geek' toy right now, the European ones are phenomenal. Who is going to be the first to fly one of these Lakeside? Are they even legal?

http://www.udrones.com/

Wow - you realize these are actual fully functional robots, enabled to carry out preprogrammed 'missions' including live video surveillance, listening, drops, gps waystations, remote photography. Even weaponry can be attached as one enthusiast fastened twin paint ball pistols. A far cry from remote control stuff. Companies are buying whole fleets of them. In the U.S.A. there has been a change of laws allowing them to be used for surveillance by military and law enforcement.

This is a great website for amateur drones.

Drones will become "general use" technology in the very very near future.

Imagine pizza delivery by copter.

How about a drone that follows you while you water ski? It stays 3 meters above you and 3 meters in front of you, recording you with an HD camera?

Or, a rancher that has a small group of drones that follow a pre-programmed pattern to inspect his land and herd of cattle/sheep?

Forestry service with infrared cameras to early-detect hot spots?

Drones are going to be cheap and ubiquitous very soon. Privacy is going to be virtually gone soon, though. It has already been eroded due to electronic communications. Now, imagine no boundaries on the mode of transport. Micro drones, the size of your little fingernail? Think of the possibilities and problems with that!

Lastly - here is a really cool art project using quad-copters. It is both beautiful and impressive. The technology will only get better.

VIDEO HERE

I liked the guy who programmed a drone to follow his kids to the school bus stop, 15 feet above, with video, the the drone returns to its nest when the kids are on the bus.

Good for real estate listings too - can give a brief glimpse of the view and the neighborhood without a multi $1,000 helicopter shot.

Sometimes it will be a bit too windy in the hills here, all part of the learning curve

Damn, there goes another good idea of mine.

merry

Alas, the airways are already regulated, and if these things take off, watch out for more stringent rules on remote hobbyists of all kinds. (Atari, as soon as mine is up, I'm sending you over that Kindle. Watch the skies.)

OMG, they are only like $600 US!!!

Get yours now before they are regulated out of the marketplace.

Merry