Archive for May, 2010

Draganfly Innovations Inc. has recently unveiled the brand new Mini Wireless Base Station for Draganflyer UAV RC helicopters. The new Mini Base Station has all the features of its larger counterpart in a smaller and more portable package. Instead of using a hard case, the new mini base station is able to collapse to an extremely small size and fit snugly in the Draganflyer X4 and (soon to be released) Draganflyer X6 soft transport cases. This makes the mini base station much lighter than the standard version and also allows it to be set up quickly and easily. The Mini Base Station supports all the features of the Draganview HUD, flight instrument, and diagnostics display. The following video showcases the benefits and features of the new Mini Base Station:

About the New Mini Base Station

By reducing the Mini Base Station’s size and weight, it can fit easily in the pre-cut bays in the soft transport case’s lower section. Each part is secured with high density foam, which protects and secures parts during transport. The Mini Base Station features a special collapsible design which allows it to deploy in seconds, and fold up for storage just as quickly. The collapsible nylon legs are held together with a high tension elastic cord so that they snap together easily as soon as they’re taken out of the case. The top of the base tripod features a specially designed head, which securely locks all 3 collapsible legs together and holds the base station electronics and antennas.

The Draganview software allows you and your clients to quickly and easily see exactly what the helicopter is seeing in real time. Geo-tagged photos allow all your aerial pictures to show up in Google Earth and flight data logging (to an onboard SD card viewable on a PC after flying) shows the GPS position and altitude where each was taken. The Draganflyer UAV’s flight path is also displayed, with photo thumbnails showing where and at what altitude pictures were taken along the flight path.(please note these features are only available with the Draganfly X6 and Dragan View Software) A full set of flight instruments is displayed and the display can be quickly toggled between instrument and HUD view, which superimposes critical flight information over a live video feed. The Draganview software is also compatible with all the camera payloads we offer, even special purpose models such as FLIR infrared and low-light night vision.

Unlike the heavy-duty case of the Standard Base Station, the new Mini Base Station uses a lightweight and durable plastic mesh to hold your laptop or video recording device. The plastic mesh detaches easily for storage in the soft transport case, and sufficiently small laptop computers can even be stored in the case alongside it.

The new Mini Base Station is powered by a high energy density Lithium Polymer Battery for fast charge times and long run times. The built in charger and balancer automatically charges and balances it’s internal battery pack, ensuring long life and good performance. The base station electronics are all contained in a precision machined aluminum case. The Mini Base Station supports all the features of the Standard Base Station, including:

• Two 5.8 Ghz flat patch antennas with automatic input selection based on signal strength
• Two 5.8 Ghz omni-directional antennas with automatic input selection based on signal strength
• Wireless telemetry and a heads up display via an RPSMA antenna
• Embedded Dragan Eye Pro 5.8GHz Quad Diversity Wireless Video Receiver
• USB-B Jack for embedded Telemetry Transceiver and Video Capture Device
• Standard Analog Video Output compatible with most video capture devices
• Draganview software (for the Draganflyer X6) which works on Windows laptops and provides a Heads Up Display (HUD)
• Draganview LIte software (for the Draganflyer X4) which works on Windows laptops and provides a Heads Up Display (HUD) but does not have GPS features

Which Base Station Should I Use?

Both the new Mini Base Station and the Standard Base Station have the same feature set. The only difference is the form factor;  customers will have to decide which is best suited to their particular application. The Mini Base Station is most appropriate for the Draganflyer X4 because it fits in the Draganflyer X4’s soft case. If you opt to use a soft case with the Draganflyer X6, the mini base station is the right choice as well.

The Standard Base Station features a  transport case which only fits in the Draganflyer X6 hard equipment case.

Learn more about the new Mini Base Station and Draganflyer RC Helicopter UAVs on our website. If you are interested in the software used to stitch together photos into a panoramic image read our previous post.

northStudio.com has recently launched an innovative new aerial tour web product, that uses the Draganflyer X6 RC helicopter UAV for high resolution aerial photography. northStudio is a web design agency that uses state of the art technology to deliver professional grade web design services to organizations such as:

• The University of Delaware
• The University of British Columbia (UBC)
• The Vancouver Island Advanced Technology Center (VIATEC)
• The British Columbia Integrated Land Management Bureau
• The Kinsmen Home Lottery

northStudio’s latest product is a Java application that delivers high quality aerial virtual panoramic tours. The new technology allows web visitors to “fly through” properties, and click on ground features for an eye level view. A clean and simple user interface provides a beautiful and crisp image of the entire site, with clickable ground markers showing locations where high resolution ground views are available (just pan up to see the Draganflyer X6 UAV hovering overhead). These interactive tours give visitors much more information than simple still pictures and descriptions do, allowing companies, resorts, golf courses, and real-estate agents to advertise their properties more effectively.

The interactive, online Java application can be used in full-screen mode, giving you a seamless view of the entire surveyed property.  Smooth transitions between views add to the elegance of the user interface and allow you to “fly” over the featured site. The web applications works in multiple browsers on both Windows and Mac OS, so you can demonstrate your location to all your site visitors. Pictures are taken in high resolution allowing you to zoom in by a huge amount, even from the sky.

Project features include:

• Up close aerial views from the Draganflyer X6 UAV RC helicopter
• Aerial Mapping
• Multi browser compatability – works with common web browsers
• Support for both Mac and Windows
• Transitions between views that simulate a moving camera
• Full screen view
• Intuitive navigation interface – click and drag to move around.
• Hotspots – you can label important ground positions and click to zoom in to an eye level view.
• Zoom capability
• Thumbnail  navigation – click on the thumbnails at the bottom of the application to visit all featured Hotspots.

While viewing the aerial tour, you can right click on the northStudio icon in the upper right corner of the application to see viewing options. Be sure to check out the Fisheye, Stereographic, Architectural, and Planet views.  Click the monitor icon in the lower right hand corner to go to full screen mode.

northStudio was using full size, expensive helicopters and camera equipment prior to the Draganflyer X6, but were unable to get close enough to the ground for the high resolution images their latest tours feature. The Draganflyer X6 is the perfect solution, allowing northStudio photographers the opportunity to get clear aerial pictures at an altitude suited to the project at hand. With the Draganflyer X6 and the Panasonic Lumix 10.1 mega pixel digital still camera, northStudio’s latest product is a functional and very attractive addition to any website that needs to show visitors their properties or facilities.

Take your website to the next level using the Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter for aerial photography and northStudio’s 360 degree aerial tours to present the results. You can learn more about the Draganflyer X6 UAV RC helicopter on our website, and you can also check out northStudio’s Virtual Tours for more information about their services.