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The ‘Dronut’ is a Cylindrical Drone Straight Out of Science Fiction

The Cleo Robotics Dronut is the world's first bi-rotor ducted drone that makes it look like something straight out of science fiction.

The Boston-based company that specializes in unconventional robotic systems has released a drone that sports an unconventional design and capabilities which allow it to access spaces that ordinary drones can't navigate, such as confined rooms and or close to people.

In 2020, the company released a previous version of the drone, simply called the Dronut. The first model was only sold to the military and law enforcement, and at the time the company said its next goal was to make the drone quieter and to release it for consumer use. Thus, the Dronut X1 was born.

The oddly shaped drone is compact enough to fit on the palm of the hand and weighs only 15 ounces (425 grams) but boasts live-streaming capabilities, a high-resolution 4K camera, and a global shutter sensor. The drone navigates through 3D LiDAR (light detection and ranging), which utilizes beams of light that hit an object or a surface and reflect back to the laser scanner to create a 3D visualization of its environment.

The drone has a one-kilometer (0.6 miles) range depending on the environment and the company says it can be controlled using an Android phone with little to no training required. The sophisticated sensors allow the drone to be used also in spaces with low light or with no light at all.

All these claims are not particularly unique in the world of drones, but what sets Dronut X1 apart is its ducted fan design that allows it to fly with no exposed propellers. Because of this, Dronut operators can safely fly it around people, in tight spaces, and around sensitive equipment without posing a risk to those around it or itself.

The company's founders come from the oil and gas industry, which is where they experienced firsthand how difficult and dangerous it can be to inspect confined spaces. This is what led them to the Dronut X1's design and is also what the drone is specifically marketed for. So while it is not exactly aimed at traditional drone hobbyists and commercial drone operators, the Dronut X1 has been built with the goal of eliminating manned entry into dangerous, hazardous, and difficult-to-reach environments.

The Dronut X1 isn't cheap. The innovative drone costs $9,800 and can be can only be ordered on Cleo Robotic's website. It is available commercially for law enforcement, industrial inspection, construction, and defense industries.

#equipment #news #technology #4kdrone #aerialdrone #cleorobotics #drone #dronecamera #flyingcamera #newdrone #robotics

Autel Aims at DJI, Launches EVO Nano and EVO Lite Compact Drones

Autel Robotics has announced the EVO Nano and EVO Lite drones that are designed for beginner enthusiasts and compete directly against the DJI Mini 2 and Air 2S. In particular, the Nano is the first sub-250 gram drone to offer obstacle avoidance.

Autel Robotics might not be as household of a name as DJI, but the Seattle-based and China-owned company won a lawsuit against DJI in May of 2020 involving the design of its most recent run of quadcopters. Victory in that lawsuit may explain why Autel's drones look remarkably similar to the ones DJI has been marketing and selling for years.

The Nano is armed with a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor that is capable of capturing 50-megapixel or a 1/2-inch sensor 48-megapixel photos (depending on model between the Nano and Nano+) and uses a large f/1.9 aperture to offer what Autel touts as superior noise reduction capability and the ability to operate in low light conditions. It is also capable of tracking subjects using a combination of phase and contrast detection autofocus, and the company also claims wide dynamic range that will show details in both highlights and shadows.

The Nano weighs 249-pounds and features three-way obstacle avoidance -- a first for a sub-250 gram drone.

Additionally, it has a flight range with live video transmission of up to 6.2 miles, has a 30-minute flight time, and can shoot 4K video. It will be available in four colors: Autel Orange, Arctic White, Deep Space Gray, and Blazing Red

The EVO Lite offers the choice between a 1/1.28-inch sensor capable of 50-megapixel photos a one-inch CMOS sensor capable of 20-megapixel photos -- either the Lite or Lite +. It is armed with Autel's "intelligent moonlight algorithm" that it says allows the drone to capture crisp and vibrant details at night with low noise, even at high ISO settings. It also comes with an adjustable aperture with a range of f/2.8 through f/11 and is capable of capturing 4K HDR content and 6K video at up to 30 frames per second.

The Lite also has what Autel claims is the world's first four-axis gimbal design that promises the ability to orient the camera sideways to capture vertical videos that would be specifically shared on mobile devices. The EVO Lite weighs 820 grams, but shares the same 6.2-mile transmission, 30-minute flight time, and three-way obstacle avoidance found in the Nano. It will be available in three colors: Autel Orange, Arctic White, and Deep Space Gray.

Both drones will, as expected, ship with various automatic modes for different cinematic motions that can be captured via an aerial perspecitive.

The EVO Nano will start at $649 while the Nano+ will cost $799. The EVO Lite series will start $1,149 while the Lite+ will cost $1,249. The availability of the drones was not clear, but expect them to come to market soon.

#equipment #news #1inchsensor #autel #autelrobotics #djiair2s #djimini2 #drones #flyingcamera #newdrone #sub250gram #sub250gramdrone

Amazon Wants You To Test its Ring Flying Indoor Drone Camera

Amazon first announced the Ring Always Home Cam almost a year ago during its 2020 hardware event, but today it confirmed that the product is real and can be purchased… by invitation only.

The Ring Always Home Cam is pretty basic as far as a concept goes: it's a small camera attached to a drone that works with the Ring network. The idea is that rather than being required to set up a host of cameras all around a home so that every angle can be captured, the Home Cam would instead allow users to take a quick perusal of the house through the flying indoor camera.

Ring -- which Amazon purchased in 2018 -- even bills it as a way for someone to be in "two places at once."

Amazon says the indoor flying camera as equipped with navigation sensors so that it can navigate the paths of a home without crashing and allows users to get a "flexible point of view" when they are not in the house. Fully autonomous, it can't actually be "flown" in the traditional sense of the word, but simply commanded to run pre-determined paths. It is able to stream and record video in Full HD 1080p that is watchable via the Ring app. It can be triggered by a Ring Alam sensor or manually through the app.

The camera unit itself is blocked when it's not in use, as it sits at the base of a column below the propellers which fits into its charging station like a sword in a sheath. The idea behind this design choice is that instead of having a set of cameras always watching a family while they are home, the flying camera can provide the same level of visibility but only when the family is not present. Cats and dogs, however, are unlikely to be fans of it.

Additionally, it can't navigate stairs and the battery life is extremely short: about five minutes. Ring says this is because the idea of the drone is not to have it patrol an area for a long time, but rather it is designed to be deployed tactically to investigate specific situations.

According to The Verge, the Always Home Cam has been in testing since it was announced last year in order to make sure that it doesn't run amok and cause damage to itself or its surroundings, especially since it is supposed to operate with no nearby supervision.

Ring's founder says the company has made multiple refinements to it in the last year and now it's ready to be tested in actual people's homes. Well, some people's: the drone can only currently be purchased if a buyer is selected for the invite-only test program.

“I have it in my home, and it does work,” Jamie Siminoff, Ring's founder, says. “But today’s homes are so unique, so we really need to get it into more customers’ homes to make sure everything we are doing is right.”

The idea is that whoever signs up for the program will work in tandem with Ring to finalize the product and prepare it for more widespread distribution. Interested parties can sign up for an invitation to buy a Ring Always Home Cam for $250.

#news #products #amazon #drone #dronecamera #flyingcamera #indoordrone #invitationonly #ring #ringalwayshomecam #securitycamera

Vivo Developing Smartphone with Detachable Drone Selfie Camera

Vivo is reportedly developing a smartphone that includes a tiny quadcopter drone that slides out from the main body of the device, detaches, and can fly away to allow for better selfie photos.

According to patent information published publicly today and found by LetsGoDigital, the design describes what at first glance looks like a typical smartphone, but hides a small quadcopter drone with an integrated camera and battery that can be removed and flown separately to allow for aerial camera angles.

The patent describes a dual-camera system (one front-facing and one facing downwards) and three infrared proximity sensors that would theoretically allow the tiny drone some ability to keep itself from crashing into objects.

According to the report, the flying camera system can be slid out of the housing, removed entirely, and allow the smartphone owner to take photos from a greater distance. LetsGoDigital says that the patent describes the ability for the drone to change position or maintain position while shooting, and presumably the operation of the mini-drone takes place via the smartphone. While it is possible that the tiny flying camera would support gesture control, that is not mentioned as part of the documentation.

Tiny, portable flying cameras aren't new. The drone pictured below is called the Air Pix and is about the size of the palm of a hand. However, it is a separate device that is almost the size of a full smartphone. The idea of integrating a mini flying camera directly into a smartphone is wholly original to Vivo, though the disadvantages of such a design may outweigh the benefits.

For starters, the drone would have to be much smaller than even the Air Pix -- which already sports abysmal reviews on Amazon -- which means the motors that power the propellers are unlikely to be strong enough to withstand much wind. Even a light breeze may shake the camera enough to make any photos it takes blurry. Some kind of stabilization of the lens will likely be necessary to mitigate this.

Additionally, a large flying part like this is prone to damage or loss, which would be expensive to replace. It's unclear what would be exposed to the elements on the phone itself if the drone were to be lost as well since the port to hold the drone would be sizeable.

Vivo is, at least, thinking outside the box with this patent. While the publication of the patent at best shows the company is only in the very early stages of development, it remains to be seen if such a design is actually commercially viable.

_Image credits: Mockup of Vivo smartphone and drone published courtesy of LetsGoDigital per usage guidelines. _

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Sony’s Airpeak Drone Can Hold Position and Stabilize in 44 MPH Winds

Sony has published a new video that shows the company's testing methods for its impending Airpeak drone. In the video, the test shows the new drone stabilizing footage and maintaining position in 43.6 mile-per-hour winds (19.5m/s).

Sony has been teasing small bits of new information about its Airpeak drone project since it was originally announced in November of 2020. The drone itself was finally shown to the public in January.

Sony says that it is combining its expertise in imaging, sensing, and AI robotics technology together into the development of Airpeak. This wind resistance test is one of several that Sony says that it is evaluating right now in various field tests.

"The Austrian mountains shown in the CES 2021 video were covered in snow, and the test course was thick with fog. These conditions were actually a lucky accident, and not something we had planned for, but it has meant that we can go on to test the accuracy of Airpeak’s sensing and control functions in various different weather conditions," the company writes.

Sony

As noticed by Sony Alpha Rumors, Sony tested the Airpeak prototype at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) wind tunnel that can generate artificial airflow at a constant speed that is ideal for testing.

"Our goal here was to see how the drone could be affected by strong wind, and up to what wind speed the drone could endure," Sony writes on its Airpeak website. "Our test results showed that the prototype could maintain stable flight up to around 20m/s - a wind so powerful an average person would have trouble standing upright."

Sony

In the video, the drone appears very stable and able to withstand 19.5 meter-per-second wind speeds, which is about 44 miles-per-hour or 70 kilometers-per-hour. Not only is the drone stable, but the video feed shown from the attached Sony Alpha camera on the gimbal is also remarkably steady, although just short of totally immobile.

"A drone’s propulsion system, which mainly comprises the propellers, motors, and ESC (Electric Speed Controller), is essential to maintaining stability in strong wind," Sony continues. "Airpeak’s propulsion system is optimized to ensure stable flight even in strong winds and features an ESC designed for superior control, highly efficient and responsive 17-inch propellers, and lightweight, high-performance, high-power brushless motors."

Sony

Sony recognizes that in the real world, the wind doesn't just come from one stable direction though, and says that simply speeding up propellars is not the answer to making an agile, responsive, and stable drone.

"The key to stable flight is to design a system that is both highly responsive to the environment, and can maintain control under any condition.
We are developing a unique propulsion system and flight controller for the device, and testing the technology in strong winds and other challenging environmental conditions as we strive towards an optimum level of flight stability for Airpeak."

If Sony sticks with its original Airpeak timeline, the official public availability of the drone is imminent: in January, Sony announced that it would be launching a new business that would feature its new drone targeted at professional photography and video production in the spring of 2021.

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