Drones...why have a GoPro?

[rwsaunders]

Now you (or your wife) can have a drone track your ride as opposed to using a GoPro on your helmet or bike.

BBC News - CES 2015: Testing the latest drones

[Gordon]

Now you (or your wife) can have a drone track your ride as opposed to using a GoPro on your helmet or bike.

BBC News - CES 2015: Testing the latest drones

I for one am tired of hearing about "Drones." What is news worthy here? It's a "robot." It just happens to be a robot that flies .... Marketing/media have to latch on to something ... sigh.

[Gordon]

I for one am tired of hearing about "Drones." What is news worthy here? It's a "robot." It just happens to be a robot that flies .... Marketing/media have to latch on to something ... sigh.

That is if its autonomous. IF not, its just a "Radio controlled" helicopter ... RC hobbyists must be rejoicing that they might actually have shed the "nerd" image.

[zetroc]

I want to figure out how to link four drones to fly in formation, carrying a net between them. Search and destroy.

[Tom]

I read a lost and found ad in the local paper where somebody lost a quad copter with an attached GoPro flying it around outside. That's not cheap.

[monadnocky]

I for one am tired of hearing about "Drones." What is news worthy here? It's a "robot." It just happens to be a robot that flies .... Marketing/media have to latch on to something ... sigh.

I'm tired of this as well. When did a cheap Toys R' Us RC helicopter become a "drone"? So now anything that flies without a pilot and has some sort of motor is a "drone?" Far cry from how the word was intended, methinks.

[rwsaunders]

Our local HS has an electronics club and participation tripled when the teacher/sponsor announced that they were purchasing four quad copters. Now they have their own YouTube channel and they've used the drones for projects ranging from following a preset course to viewing school district construction projects. Imagine Le Tour eliminating the distraction and expense of the helicopters and having Bob Roll manning a RoadID sponsored drone...

[newellbt]

"$700 drone, $300 gopro, $200 gimball"

[Mr B]

That is if its autonomous. IF not, its just a "Radio controlled" helicopter ... RC hobbyists must be rejoicing that they might actually have shed the "nerd" image.

This. Most are simply an RC Quadcopter equipped with a camera.
The people that talk incessantly about them may drone, but are also not drones.

Friday dose of drone-related schadenfreude:

[Gordon]

I want to figure out how to link four drones to fly in formation, carrying a net between them. Search and destroy.

I'm sorry, this has already been figured out:

https://www.grasp.upenn.edu/research/swarms

[vertical_doug]

Those shots of Danny Macaskill riding The Ridge on the Isle of Skye were shot with a drone and camera. Instead of having a helicopter with expensive equipment, you can now get some great shots of people doing stupid stuff with a goPro and Drone. For a a little more than a $1000 dollars investment, you can outfit your budding film-maker for action sports.

[zetroc]

I'm sorry, this has already been figured out:

https://www.grasp.upenn.edu/research/swarms

Nice! Time to go reap the rewards. Used GoPros, anyone? Bulk discounts available.

[Tom]

...Imagine Le Tour eliminating the distraction and expense of the helicopters and having Bob Roll manning a RoadID sponsored drone...

Five dollars says he'd manage to crash it into a rider. I can't remember where I read it but this Christmas season some guy got one and promptly flew it into his wife.

[Mr B]

Those shots of Danny Macaskill riding The Ridge on the Isle of Skye were shot with a drone and camera by a very talented and highly experienced Director of Photography. Instead of having a helicopter with expensive equipment, skilled and committed creatives can now get some great shots of people doing stupid stuff with a goPro and Drone. For a little more than a $1000 dollars investment, you can outfit your budding film-maker (who still owes $150k on his art college loans) for action sports.

EFA

[bcm119]

drones are sort of exciting in my general field of work because they are now affordable enough that they can be used to gather geospatial/remotely sensed data, like terrain data (LiDAR). Whereas you used to have to hire a plane or helicopter and pilot outfitted with expensive equipment, it's getting close to being feasible to own your own drone with a small, lightweight sensor and fly your own data collection. Real drones used for this purpose are autonomous, so they fly pre-programmed routes, unlike an R/C helicopter.

[Jonathan]

Drones have missiles and cool shit that explodes. Everything else is a toy.

[Gordon]

Our local HS has an electronics club and participation tripled when the teacher/sponsor announced that they were purchasing four quad copters. Now they have their own YouTube channel and they've used the drones for projects ranging from following a preset course to viewing school district construction projects. Imagine Le Tour eliminating the distraction and expense of the helicopters and having Bob Roll manning a RoadID sponsored drone...

The sad thing is that no one is taking about how "drones" were used to engage students in learning about electronics ... its just idiotic "hey dude that's my first drone selfie!?!?!?! ... yay I'm an idiot ... " Sorry very cynical today ...

[Mike Mcdermid]

I'm doing a budget version its a helium balloon on a piece of string with a camera phone taped under it

Will make your bike lighter too due to the helium

[Mark Walberg]

.....Imagine Le Tour eliminating the distraction and expense of the helicopters and having Bob Roll manning a RoadID sponsored drone...

Wow, imagine the tour with a big swarm of drones following the pack, one or more from every news agency on earth.

[Christian Fox]

What about the local pervert droning the neighborhood pools? Is there anything other than a shotgun to stop that?