#personal drone

Capture the Great Outdoors in Stunning 4K with the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Drone

DJI's Spark Just Raised The Mini-Drone Bar

Hands-On with DJI Mavic Foldable Quadcopter Drone!

We go hands-on with the DJI Mavic, a foldable drone that's half the size and weight of the Phantom 4 quadcopter. We take it for a test flight, check out its 4K video quality, and chat with DJI about its unique features, including a new computer vision tracking system and wi-fi transmitter control. Here's our hopes and fears for this new category of compact quads.

The new drones promise to be even more efficient, easier to use and more reliable than previous models. Their entirely new unique modular design allows for interchanging or upgrading parts on-the-fly, further enhancing cost effectiveness for their owners.

Physical characteristics

High tech materials such as carbon fiber and aircraft grade aluminum are used for manufacturing the airframe, while military grade protection is used for electronics and connectors. EPP foam is used as wing and control surfaces filling in order do minimize weight. A single brushless motor propeller drives the drone.

With respect to models they will be replacing soon, the LA500 series drones have a slightly larger wingspan of 116cm and weigh 950-1250g, depending on model and payload. Despite this the drones are more compact and easier to transport thanks to their detachable winglets. Flight time has been improved at up to 45 minutes – with a 4000mAh 11.1V battery pack – and as a consequence range has increased to 25km or over 15 miles. The flight ceiling is now as high as 1000 meters (AGL).

New features

An increased variety of payloads is now supported such as standard GoPro cameras, FLIR View Pro thermal camera, as well as the high resolution Sony Alpha A6000 mirrorless camera which sports a 24.3 Megapixel APS-C imaging sensor. These mapping drones are also capable of acquiring oblique imagery data for detailed 3D maps.

Lehmann Aviation LA500 series mapping drone

Along with high quality imagery there is also high mapping precision, the LA500-RTK drone can resolve details down to 3-5cm thanks to its all new integrated real-time kinematics (RTK) module. The other two models are capable of 1-5 meter resolutions, however their accuracy can be increased to be on par with the RTK model by means of ground control points (GCP) when possible.

The LA500-AG model can capture invisible light radiations thanks to the Parrot Sequoia multispectral camera, a very useful feature for precise agricultural observations such as soil erosion, pests, reflectance mapping and more.

The powerful autopilot takes over right after hand launching the drone and can perform fully autonomously right down to belly landing the aircraft.

The highly advanced OperationCenter 2 software, designed for Windows 10 devices, allows for complete drone management, from flight planning and monitoring to data acquisition and processing. The software has advanced ortho-mosaicking and DEM capabilities.

Quick specs

LA500 LA500-AG LA500-RTK Applications Land surveying, mining, construction, GIS Agriculture Land surveying, mining Integrated equipment – Sequoia multispectral camera RTK module Payloads (optional) GoPro Hero, Sony A6000, FLIR View Pro Communication 2.4GHz radio, 3.5km/1.9mi range, up to 5km/3mi with optional long range data modem Wingspan (cm/inch) 116/45.7 Weight (g/oz) Up to 1250/44.1 with Sony A6000 950/33.5 Up to 1250/44.1 with Sony A6000 Speed (km/h/mph) 20-80/12.5-50 Altitude AGL (m/ft) 1000/3280 Wind resistance (km/h/mph/knots) 37/23/20 Range (km/mi) 25/15 Autonomy (minutes) 45 with 4000mAh, 11.1V power pack Accuracy (h-v) 1-5m/3.3-16.4ft (3-5cm/1.2-2in with GCPs) 3-5cm/1.2-2in Software OperationCenter v2 for Windows 10 devices Image processing (optional) Agisoft and Pix4D files I/O, storage USB 2.0, WiFi, microSD

Pricing and ordering

The LA500 series drones and accessories can be preordered from the manufacturer online store, deliveries starting in 4th quarter of 2016.

As for pricing, the LA500 model will set you back US$3,490, or 3.490EUR depending on market, camera not included. The LA500-RTK price is US$5,890 (5.890EUR) without camera, while the LA500-AG drone can be bought for US$7,990 (7.990EUR) with the Parrot Sequoia camera included. Upon preorder the long range data modem is included for all models.

Media

Finally a personal autonomous drone has been built - Can carry one person for 23 minutes or 10 miles

It's happened. Someone built a quadcopter big enough to carry human cargo. The future is officially here, and it's kinda scary.

READ MORE ON ENGADGET

READ FUTHER ON MIT | TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

This Trooper Tries To Violate A Civilian’s Rights. What Happens When His Sargent Shows Up? Priceless! (VIDEO)

Screen Grab From Video

In Albany, NY, a state trooper had to be schooled on the law by his own Sergeant. It seems that on Sept. 25, a man was using a personal drone to take video of the area around a police station. Due to this, a trooper, identified from the video as D.M. Fougere, proceeds to try and violate the man’s right to videotape in public.

From the very beginning of the video, the…

This Trooper Tries To Violate A Civilian’s Rights. What Happens When His Sargent Shows Up? Priceless! (VIDEO)

Screen Grab From Video

In Albany, NY, a state trooper had to be schooled on the law by his own Sergeant. It seems that on Sept. 25, a man was using a personal drone to take video of the area around a police station. Due to this, a trooper, identified from the video as D.M. Fougere, proceeds to try and violate the man’s right to videotape in public.

From the very beginning of the video, the…