News — Drones

By Warrick Kernes

Flying cameras seem like something out of the movie Back to the Future but the future has now arrived as Drones are now readily available and they will make your life easier on the farm.

We have already seen Drones being used practically by South African farmers for various reasons such as aerial game counts, crop assessments, monitoring irrigation pipes, perimeter fence checks, looking for trespassers, searching for game to hunt and even to see what the children are up to. We know of a group of farmers in the Northern Cape who have turned to this new technology to assess their crop fields and in doing so they’ve changed a previously tedious task into a breeze. They have set up their Drone to fly to predetermined GPS coordinates to check respective crops so in the morning all they need to do is turn it on and send it off, 20 minutes later the drone returns and lands itself back on the patio and they can now watch the video back on their tablet to see how each of their crop fields are doing. These GPS way-points can be set up as you like to assess fences, kraals, staff villages or whatever you choose. The Drone will fly to the pre-set point and can even be set to a particular height and to point the camera the way you want.

In another situation we helped a farmer who desperately needed to capture and relocate his three black rhinos. These animals had come to know the sound of vehicles and helicopters and disappeared into the thicket before they could be located however the sound of the Drone was not threatening to them so we were able to fly the camera in a grid until we located the animals and could radio to the chopper and vet to fly in. As the animal heard the heli rotors in the distance it darted for cover but we followed its position easily just meters above the tree tops and we could then direct the vet into position to dart the animal.

                

The world’s leading commercial Drone company is DJI with their most popular range being the Phantom 3 Drones which come with a built in camera and GPS receiver. The included remote holds your phone or tablet to show a live view of what the camera is seeing while it is up in the air. Controlling the Drone is surprisingly simple especially because you can fly in GPS mode which means that even if you let go of all the controls the Drone will hold its position in the sky and not move until signaled to. The intelligent battery will last up to 25 minutes and will automatically return home and land where it took off from if it calculates that its battery power is too low. The distance at which you can control the Drone is an incredible 2km from the remote controller but if you are flying by way-points the distance can be much further as it can fly at speeds of up to 56km/h.

Taking aerial photos and videos is now easier than ever before with these types of Drones. Mapping your land and looking for lost animals couldn’t be easier than it is with a Drone but this is really just the beginning of how Drones will be adopted in the farming industry. We have already seen tests being carried out for Drones which will automatically perform your required crop dusting and will determine how much pesticide to spread over an area by factoring the type of crop, the predicted precipitation and even the wind. Spreading of new seed will be an easy function for Drones in the future and we’re also fairly close to having commercially available Drones fitted with thermal imaging cameras which can scan your land continuously and alert you of any trespassers on the property. It will SMS you a picture of the person with the exact time and coordinates and if you send the command it will follow the person until you arrive. Further down the road we expect to see that these Drones will be fitted with solar power so that they will only need to return to land once every few weeks for simple maintenance.

While this futuristic view of what Drones may become seems like far off science fiction, so did the idea of flying cameras – but this is now reality and instead of dismissing this new technology we can embrace it and use it to our advantage.

For use on a farm it is recommended to buy extra batteries, spare propellers and a protective case. This can all be found at a terrific deal price on the Action Gear website in the deal called the Farmers Drone Bundle. If you would like to find out more contact Action Gear (tel: 011 781 1323 / email: sales@actiongear.co.za).

Written By Brad Edwards AKA Fuzz

Action sports team Teton Gravity Research captures their skill as they ski and snowboard across scenic Utah. All shots made possible by the flexibility and rugged durability of the DJI Ronin, the world’s premiere handheld camera stabilization gimbal. Teton Gravity Research (TGR) is an action sports media company founded in 1996 by brothers Steve and Todd Jones, as well as friends Dirk Collins and Corey Gavitt. The friends launched the company to create products that came from the perspective of athletes, showcased youth culture, and fueled the progression taking place in action sports. TGR works closely with top athletes to create multimedia content, products, and events that capture and celebrate the passion and enthusiasm of action sports. TGR has produced 32 award-winning action sports films rooted in skiing, snowboarding and surfing, and numerous original television broadcast series. TGR is a leader in the production of action sports films with environmental messages. The company is a key partner to organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation, Protect Our Winters, and 1% For The Planet. 

We think they've definitely got the right idea! Check them out - http://www.tetongravity.com/ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Gravity_Research

Check Action Gear's DJI Range, and and get the a drone perspective of your own.

Written By Elzette

There has been quite a few drone brands incorporating the high definition GoPro camera to its aerial technology, thus bringing production value to unmanned aerial vehicles. That’s why it’s not surprising that GoPro Inc. is developing its own line of consumer drones.

GoPro has been made famous amongst the sporting industry for introducing wearable technology and the sky is the limit for this 10 year old company.

The company intends to start selling multirotor helicopters equipped with high-definition cameras late next year, aiming for a price tag between $500 and $1,000. Consumer drones have been seeing a spike in interest from the public since it introduced a smaller, cheaper and easier way to fly.

According to the Wall Street Journal, GoPro’s move into drones comes as its market-leading camcorder business faces competition from rivals such as Sony Corp. GoPro Inc. (which has gone public this year) has been investing heavily in research and development to maintain its lead in the camera business, which shipped nearly 2.8 million units in the first nine months of the year, up 15% from the same period last year.

Also, other drone makers could stop supporting GoPro devices if they are competing head-to-head with the camera maker.

“I’m happy to let GoPro keep making great cameras and we’ll keep making great copters,” said Colin Guinn, senior vice president of sales at Berkeley, Calif.-based 3D Robotics Inc., which sells GoPro cameras with its drones.

Written By Elzette

With the development of action footage and quadcopters alike, the market is starting to see very innovative ways to combine the two for a more user friendly experience. Take the AirDog for instance, which sets out to solve the problem of having your action camera strapped to you (we don't mind that, of course - and this will take away the POV shot which everyone came to love so much).

Latvian startup, Aerospace Industries, introduced AirDog this week - a fully autonomous personal action sports drone, which might look like an old concept. BUT, this little gadget only requires you to wear a wrist-strapped controller called AirLeash that the AirDog will follow. It can take off and land automatically, and whilst following the action, uses gyro stabilisation technology to ensure the subject is always in frame.

 

“You can take it everywhere. Fold it down, put in your back pack and go wherever you want. Then turn it on, put on the ground, strap the tracker on wrist or helmet and with push of a button it will take off and start following you in desired altitude and angle,” explains Helico founder Edgars Rozentals. “We are putting technology that used to be available only for pros and rich into hands of every sports enthusiast.”

(Update: You wait all year for an autonomous aerial camera drone to arrive and two turn up at once. According to Tech Crunch - launched on Kickstarter is the Hexo+, which has already reached its crowdfunding target.) Is this the future of the technology?

Written By Elzette

We like taking things to the next level and you can imagine our excitement when we started selling the DJI Phantom quadcopter in 2013. The fact that this little gadget could take footage to new heights and lower production costs really got us on board. Sales across the nation rapidly increased in 2014 and before long – those little eyes in the sky weren’t all that unusual.

But the quadcopter situation in South Africa has been getting a lot of attention, especially from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). 

What is a Quadcopter or drone?

Also classified as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), drones or quadcopters are aircraft that fly without a pilot and can be controlled remotely by someone on the ground. Strap a GoPro or other camera to it and you have the capability of capturing some amazing aerial footage – without taking to the sky yourself. With the introduction of the Zenmuse 3D Gimbal, the DJI Phantom quadcopter even has the capability to allow remote control of roll, pitch angling. The sky is the limit! Or is it?

Model aircraft policy for drones in South Africa

Despite the ban which was announced in the beginning of June (which is only applicable to commercial and not personal use) , we have seen a 200% increase in sales over the past few weeks The biggest we've seen yet! But it seems the SACAA has come back stating it is NOT illegal and NOT banned (yet).

The SACAA states: “Currently there are no regulations in place to enable and regulate operations of UAS in South African civil airspace. In accordance with the Civil Aviation Act, 2009 (Act No. 13, of 2009).

The SACAA would once more like to reiterate that currently there are no guidelines or regulations that can help define and as such regulate the use of unmanned aircraft systems. This is a concern that the organisation is working towards addressing as soon as possible. Further, the SACAA has made an undertaking to have an interim guidance document as a provisional solution to enable restricted operational approval of UAS on a case-by-case basis until regulations are in place. It is envisaged that the interim document will be completed before 31 March 2015, or sooner.

The interim document in question will address most of the issues that have been raised not only in south Africa, but are under consideration globally, for instance by the ICAO UASSG, and other international bodies. The SACAA is part of this ICAO Work Group.

In the meantime, the Regulator appeals to all stakeholders to err on the side of caution rather than risk unintended aviation disasters. Notwithstanding, we remain receptive to ideas that would contribute to the rapid development of a widely accepted regulatory framework.”