3D Robotics gave a sneak preview of a semi-pro UAS at an unmanned aircraft convention in San Francisco last week. The company’s new quadcopter, or four-rotor helicopter, can be controlled from a tablet running an Android flight system or other similar app.The as-yet-unnamed UAS will cost about $700 and is aimed at an audience of hobbyists, even wedding photographers, who could attach a camera to the front and get sweeping shots from the sky.
“I think the bigger market is people who just want to do stuff, regular people like you or I,” said Brandon Basso, a research and development engineer at 3D Robotics.
Some people attending the conference were there to learn how to implement UAS for search and rescue.
“I’m not saying that a person can be replaced in the cockpit yet, but you can fly some of these (drone) missions at about a tenth of the cost, and you can fly them in weather where a human pilot wouldn’t be out,” said Colin Loring, a volunteer search and rescue pilot from Greenville, South Carolina. He intends to buy a UAS for his group within a few months.
Sources: YouTube, TechHive