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Toys Hardware

Airborne Video With an R/C helicopter 162

Posted by Hemos from the you-can-see-the-world dept.
PerryResearch writes "MacGyver would be jealous - here are the plans for a complete 2.4 ghz wireless video transmission system, mounted on a Mikado Logo 20 R/C helicopter, with realtime video overlay showing wireless signal strength, GPS coordinates, and support for videoglasses. Make sure you check out some of their in-flight videos."
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Airborne Video With an R/C helicopter More

Airborne Video With an R/C helicopter

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  • Wow. Just what I've always wanted. (Score:3, Funny)

    by qewl ( 671495 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:44AM (#6578243)
    Now I can spy on the chick next door.. I just have to hope she doesn't see a mini helicopter with a camera hanging off of it flying outside her bedroom window!

  • hah! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jedi Alec ( 258881 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:49AM (#6578258)

    MacGyver would be jealous

    Only if they built it from some branches, a trashcan that was lying around somewhere and an old carburator from a dead moped.

    • Re:hah! (Score:5, Funny)

      by www.microsoft.com ( 671608 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:17AM (#6578323) Homepage
      [From Primal Void Engineer, via Sebastian's Humor Group]

      MacGyver Cookie Recipe

      Well, folks, here it is. I didn't have time to cook this stuff myself for you the way Paul Newman does, so I just wrote up this cookbook to give you all the recipes, tried and true just like I make'em in my own kitchen at home.

      CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES:

      Frequent flier coupons
      One medium paperclip (not plastic coated)
      One movie ticket stub
      Now remember that chocolate-chip cookies are supposed to be a nice relaxing kind of food, so the first thing you'll want to do to make them is to go somewhere where you can kick back and relax. Ecuador is good, so use your frequent-flier coupons to pick up a round-trip ticket there. The stewardess will hand you a couple of bags of peanuts, but don't eat them, since we're going to need those for the cookies.

      You'll find yourself sitting next to an attractive woman who teaches archaeology at Cornell; she'll explain that she's going to Ecuador to try to find her father--a biochemist by trade, but he dabbles in archaeology as a hobby--who went down there to find the lost pyramid of Sesquichachloride, well known in archaeological circles as the fabled storehouse of the god Valhequesal who, according to myth, rode down from the skies on a pillar of fire bringing with him a wealth of powerful but somewhat failure-prone magical devices that, according to the priests of the day, were pretty darn all-around nifty.

      Now her father, after examining several stone tablets depicting the god Valhequesal, discovered that he is always shown wearing a curious bracelet on his left wrist that looks surprisingly like a digital watch, leading him to the conclusion that Valhequesal did actually exist, but he was really an advanced space traveller with comparatively poor taste in accessories, and that the lost pyramid of Sesquichachloride must contain his spacecraft and untold other devices from his world. About this time, the stewardess will bring by the main meal and you'll want to be sure to save the little packets of salt and butter that come with your meal--the woman next to you will be too worried about her father to eat and so you'll want to take her packet of butter and go ahead and keep her crackers too.

      When you get off the plane in Ecuador, just go out to the front of the airport and try to locate a cab. There won't be any, for some reason, so you'll go inside to inquire about where transportation might be found and some guy will stumble against you and when you look at him, you'll notice that he's been stabbed in the left side and is bleeding pretty profusely. With a weakly shaking hand, he'll thrust the key to a safety deposit box into your hand, gasp something about "be careful of the poison ivy" and expire messily on the floor of the terminal. You'll decide that maybe waiting for a cab is the better part of valor and head back outside--on the way, though, be sure to stop at the concession stand and ask for a half-pound of chocolate chips. The clerk will measure the appropriate amount and put it in a bag for you. Be sure your movie ticket stub is visible in the handful of change you pull from your pocket to pay her. She'll reach down under the counter and then surreptitiously drop a roll of microfilm into your bag along with the chocolate chips, then hand you the bag, saying, "On the house."

      At this point, speed is of the essence--get back outside the concourse before a swarthy man with a mustache strides up to the snack shop holding a movie ticket stub. Moments later he and the clerk will run out the door looking for you, just as the woman who sat next to you on the plane drives up in her rental car and offers you a lift. Cheerfully accept, and hop in before the man with the mustache disconnects the safety on his gun. If all goes well, you'll both be out of the parking lot and on your way before he has time to squeeze off more than one shot--and he'll miss on the first one anyway and the woman driving the car will think it was just another vehicle b
    • Only if they built it from some branches, a trashcan that was lying around somewhere and an old carburator from a dead moped.

      ...and Duct Tape!

  • Should be great for filming sporting events (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Wiktor Kochanowski ( 5740 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:50AM (#6578262)
    For example, cross country bicycle racing. As a sport - it's fantastic to do it, but extremely boring to watch, because the camera cannot follow riders as it does in road racing. A heli-mounted camera is what this sport is waiting for.

    • Re:Should be great for filming sporting events (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Tall Rob Mc ( 579885 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:04AM (#6578293)
      If you watched the Tour De France, they already use helicopters and video cameras to cover the race. Race observers know not to watch the road, but rather the skies, to anticipate the arrival of the pack. I'm not sure how many RC helicopters would have the 200km range necessary to film an entire stage like a full-size helicopter with a cameraman.

      • Re:Should be great for filming sporting events (Score:5, Informative)

        by Wiktor Kochanowski ( 5740 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:11AM (#6578307)
        Yeah, the problem with standard-sized, manned helicopters in XC racing is that

        * they are too big to fit between terrain features, to come close to the riders, and to film something else than their backs from above

        * they are too expensive - even in road racing only the biggest races can afford them.

        But given a cheap RC that can fit between trees and come really close to the racers to make a side shot, follow the racers on hard technical uphills and downhills, and XC racing could look, in TV, way more interesting than it is now.

        • Re:Should be great for filming sporting events (Score:5, Interesting)

          by henley ( 29988 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:10AM (#6578709) Homepage

          Err... See, the thing about model helicopters is that they're a complete pig to fly. I think the mean-time-before-superglue for learner pilots is about 30 seconds of flight time. It's inherent in the technology: they're very mechanically complex and dynamically unstable.

          So having said all that, do you think it would be a good idea to have a whirling mass of blades teetering close to anything you think as valuable? Such as cyclist's heads, for example?

          • I'm sure, in addition to the whole whirring blades thing, that atheletes will be thrilled to have a noisy, fast-moving distraction hovering right on the edge of their vision for the whole race.

            However, for futher out shots, RC helicopters are certainly a cheaper alternative to a full-size helicopter. You can have a perfectly good camera these days in a light enough package for a small RC copter... Heck, I'm sure you could mount several on the thing, one dedicated to the pilot, and another on a swivel that
          • I don't recall the name of the person or company that did this, but the video for the Emerson Lake and Palmer song "Black Moon" utilized a largish RC helicopter with a film camera that shot the band inside a limestone quarry. In addition to dramatic overhead shots from the swooping copter, it was able to do the job of a dolly or crane.

            One problem that does crop up is that the helicopter has to shoot upwind lest its exhaust screws up the shot.

          • Re:Should be great for filming sporting events (Score:1, Informative)

            by Anonymous Coward
            Dude, modern day RC helicopters are very stable. Just check out any RC helicopter competition. Even more so if you incorporate something like FMA Direct's Co-Pilot stabilization device. That thing can hold a helicopter motionless, minus any breezes, which would be correct by a human operator. This is definitely a doable thing.
          • ...will be the solution. The aerospace industry has so many unstable designs now that would otherwise be unable to fly without computers, I can't see why the same school of thought shouldn't be applied to helicopters. If we can have small handhelds packing 300+MHz processors, surely we can have a similarly powerful system in an R/C chopper.
            • Check out http://www.rctoys.com/draganflyer3.php [rctoys.com]

              It's impossible to fly without computer controls, and you can get a little camera for it. They also have a larger, commercial version.

              -DF

            • Great idea! That covers the control aspect admirably! I shall be sure and tell the great folks on RISKS Digest [sri.com] that all their fears and previous examples of control law systems going wrong are of no import.

              OK, that was harsh. FBW works OK in the real world, I guess, after 30-odd years of development. I wonder about tuning it for a model Helo but never mind that

              Rather more seriously, how do you propose to tackle the mechanical reliability issues? Model RC engines aren't up in the RB211-runs-for-years rel

            • Sorry, but modern nav systems are way too expensive than simply flying the existing infrastructure. Telephoto lenses, helmet mounts, and the prior investment in equipment slap your idea down, neat as is. Would you let your children play in a playground where one of these things swooped above them?

              The liability you would assume in taking an RC hele above a crowd (moving or not) is immense. Perhaps a small blimp-like device would work, but in no way would a blade be accepted any closer than existing airc
              • The blimps you suggest are actually a great idea. But I was really hoping that some of the advertisement money might be channeled into development of auto-flight systems. Nothing gets technology done better than profitable use. =)

                Having said that, you might be interested to know the Discovery Channel featured a group who built an R/C helicopter that not only flies itself, but also lands itself onto a target through on-board optics. Granted the computer was still ground-based, but if there's a real use for
          • Well, the people developing Autopilot [sourceforge.net] seem to think it's feasible to automate RC heli flight, which would surely make a compelling package - when combined with an onboard camera - for producers of TV sports of all kinds.

            It would have minimal labour costs, and be cheap enough in comparison to hiring a chopper for an hour or two that you could afford to have a few flying even if you lost on now and again...
      • Don't you mean Tour de Lance?
    • Sorry to reply twice, I missed the "cross country" and "road racing" specification you mentioned. I agree with you, since most cross country races aren't of the same 200km length as road races like I mentioned in my previous post. My fault.
    • OK, it's a toy-story (old or new - egal), but how much do you save, if you use it instead of a "big" helicopter? An idea anyone?
    • That might work, but you would probably want some gyro mounted camera otherwise the image may be shaky as all hell. Anyone has a place to host, I just mirrored the site locally but have no place to host.
    • The scale on this is way too small for anything beyond line of sight. For one thing, you have to have control over the heli (hobbyist RC transmitters like the ones used have limited range), and more importantly, 2.4 ghz video cameras like the ones used in the article have much shorter range, even with a clear line of sight. The cameras are also nowhere near broadcast quality.
      • Your points against this system would all be ironed out if it were to be used professionally. All of the equipment would be upgraded above "hobby" level. Small wireless broadcast quality cameras exist - CART uses one inside a driver's helmet. The view is spectacular. AFAIK though, these cameras, and a similar system used in F1, are all LOS. The systems used in auto racing shoot the signal up to TV chopper above. Of course, if the point of using such a system is to eliminate a chopper, then the signal may be
    • Yeah, same thing with orienteering and ski-orienteering! Great idea! I have to build one! :-)

  • Application in Sporting Events or Biohazzard? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FauxReal ( 653820 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:52AM (#6578266)
    Lets just hope it doesn't block that winning touchdown pass at the superbowl. Seriously though.. how about outdoor sporting events in rugged terrain. Or maybe to survey the damage at a post nuclear accident or some kind of toxic gas filled area. Then again you could allways fit it with a laser and paint targets for cruise missiles.

  • Could this be a possbile 3G killer app? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by neglige ( 641101 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:54AM (#6578268)
    Just imagine: build a helicopter with a camera and equip it with a 3G mobile phone.

    Then you can dial in to the helicopter and control it with another phone in your hand while seeing the video streamed live to your device. This could, of course, already work with GPRS or HSCSD, but with 3G its much more l33t.

    And you do not want to receive a call from your mom, which would interrupt your current transmission :/

  • Nice going, guys. (Score:5, Funny)

    by mu_wtfo ( 224511 ) * on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:54AM (#6578270) Homepage
    We've Slashdotted Estonia!!

  • Old news or not, it'll get slashdotted. (Score:5, Informative)

    by tugrul ( 750 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @05:59AM (#6578281)
    Mirror in progress of those videos... [nyu.edu]

    This might give me the final push in ordering a R/C heli. Any advice on starter models and how steep the learning curve is?

    *goes back to playing the R/C heli mission in GTA Vice City*

    • Re:Old news or not, it'll get slashdotted. (Score:5, Informative)

      by JiffyJeff ( 693994 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:26AM (#6578345)
      Any advice on starter models and how steep the learning curve is?

      Two Part Question: 1) Starter Models don't exist -- You can buy a small model built for a .30 engine for the least amount of money, but it in no way equates to an "easier to fly" machine. In fact, the larger engined machines are easier to fly, but when you crash them it costs more to repair.

      2) The Learning Curve is very steep. If you buy an R/C Heli, count on spending another $200 or $300 simulator. The simulator will allow you to connect your radio transmitter to your computer with a cable that allows you to use your own radio to control the on-screen heli.

      More Info: For every minute I've ever flown on an RC Heli, I've spent at least 5 fixing/repairing it on the ground. And for every hour flown, I've spent probably 10 on the simulator... Before I got into the hobby, I was told that flying one of these beasts was like "balancing a steel ball bearing on a convex glass lense" which is pretty damn hard.
      • Do you think it would be easier to fly if you had real-time video feedback from the helicopter's point of view? Maybe not as good as balance feedback from your inner ear, but to the uninitiated (me) it seems like the hard part of flying an R/C heli would be visually picking up the subtle changes in orientation and correcting through the controller.
        • " Do you think it would be easier to fly if you had real-time video feedback from the helicopter's point of view? "

          While I can't say I've ever flown a real helicopter, I do have a lot of in game experience flying the various choppers in the Eve of Destruction mod for Bf1942. I can't tell you how impossible it is for me to fly the helicopter from a third person view. Yet when I get into first person view, it suddenly becomes a lot simpler, because you have a much more accurate feel for the movement. You

      • More Info: For every minute I've ever flown on an RC Heli, I've spent at least 5 fixing/repairing it on the ground.

        I think this might jive with full-size helicopters. I think they also spend several times the hours with the mechanic than the pilot.

        I don't personally have RC stuff, but I'm terribly tempted to try it [dc-rc.org] (my brother-in-law flies gliders). I've heard the same comments on the helicopters, but watching telented people fly them really gets the geeky juices flowing...

    • You'd think that it would be possible to abstract the control scheme and build a controller that was more natural. That RC mission in Vice City sucked 'cause it was way to hard to grok the controls.
    • Any advice on starter models and how steep the learning curve is?

      The two main things you need to learn are:
      • how to set up, balance, tweak and generally configure a model heli before it will get off the ground
      • how to fly it

      Both require lots of help for the beginner. The latter's learning curve is immensely shorter with the use of a simulator. Probably the best starter package is the Hoverfly [snelflight.co.uk]. Normally beginners should stay away from small electric choppers because they traditionally are light, squi

    • I can't speak for an RC model, but I am a student pilot in the real deal. And it's hellishly touchy. Keeping it stabilized in moderate winds can be a real bitch, and the slightest control inputs are sufficient for control. Overcontrolling is a very easy and common mistake-and still the bane of my existence at over 30hrs dual instruction time. For about my first 10 hours or so I'd have been up shit creek without my CFI. Gives me a helluva lot of respect for Sikorsky, who was both designer and chief test pil
    • The learning curve can be VERY steep for any RC Helicopter, but there is one that will allow you to fly and have moderate crashes without having to fix/replace expensive parts everytime.

      http://www.litemachines.com [litemachines.com]

      I have the Model 116. I would recommend the Model 117 though, as it has a much better gyro for tail stablization. It has flexible plastic rotor blades that can take a lot of abuse (ran into a wire fence once.. no damage) Here is a site that sells them in Canada (I buy all my stuff from them.. t
  • It's a shame I can't fit into a 2.4 ghz channel.
    If only these toys could be made big enough to put people inside. The experience of actually being up in the sky, as well as having the view, would be amazing.

    • Re:If only . . . (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      you know, real helicopters do actually exist, you can even pay to take a ride in one - imagine that eh ?

  • Another application (Score:5, Insightful)

    by fven ( 688358 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:08AM (#6578304)
    If the camera fitted was an infrared camera, this would be great to help find lost hikers/ skiiers.

    This could also be adapted for something like rogaining - every team carries some form of tag. Helicopter flies around competition area giving real-time tracking of competitors and also some cool video.
    • This could also be adapted for something like rogaining...


      Using it to look at the tops of guys heads to see who is developing a bald spot?!?

    • The range of the R/C controllers is quite limited so you would have to ski/hike along with the chopper, but it would be great to survey inaccessible areas, plus you won't have to clim every damn hill

  • One day... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Ascender ( 160684 )
    Someone will have a webserver running in a hovering helicopter... which we can slashdot, yay! Brings new meaning to the phrase "crashing the server".
    It's pretty impressive that the server's not crashed yet (even though it's not on the actual helicopter), seeing as it's offering avi's on slashdot.
  • Imagine a beowolf cluster of these!

    Seriously, though - multiple helicopters with onboard computers obeying simple rules could quite feasably do useful things like intelligently scouring disaster sites for victims, or evaluating the extent of a fire.

    Of course, they could also all coalesce and become Skynet! :)

  • Whatever happened to ... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Alaska Jack ( 679307 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @06:21AM (#6578334) Journal

    Video eyeglasses?

    Seeing this guy wearing his clunky "Video I-glasses" made me wonder why these never caught on.* Three or four years ago I tried on a pair of television eyeglasses, and was sure that within a few years, the technology would improve to the point where these things would become practical, ubiquitous and cheap replacements for computer monitors. So why the total lack of demand? * And no, I don't mean as fashion accessories. Smartass.
    • Sony made some things called GlassTrons, which, according to their website, were excellent.

      I actually tried to buy some for use with my laptop while commuting, but all the Sony outlets are franchises and couldn't afford to lay out the cash to Sony to buy (very expensive) unproven stock. So I couldn't find anywhere to actually try them. So I never got a pair.

      In other words, they were successfully manufactured, but badly marketted, and now Sony and others don't seem to think there is a market. Arse.

      A

    • Seeing this guy wearing his clunky "Video I-glasses" made me wonder why these never caught on.*

      I own a pair of the newer i-glasses [i-glassesstore.com], and it's easy to tell why no-one uses them - as the focal distance is set quite far away, unless you wear glasses underneath, it's a blurry mess. Even if you do, the optics feel cheap, there's still some blurring, and you can never see all of the screen at once (maybe my eyes are more inset from my forehead than others).

      They also only go up to 800x600, with a view area eq

    • So why the total lack of demand?

      2 reasons:

      1. As said below, the current versions really aren't that great.

      2. We like to be able to look away from the screen. If you're working on editing a document, or watching tv at the same time, or have 2 monitors... there are hundreds of situations I can sit here and list where you want to be able to look away from the screen instantly. Video glasses just don't allow us the same flexibility as a monitor does right now. The only application I would use them for now i
  • Beside the CONRAD equipment, also the well-known US XCam/XCam2 system (from X10) is available in Europe from EDENTRONICS. Both options are still low-power small-range systems.

    Wow, someone bought an X10 camera! I think I'd prolly refuse to buy an X10 camera out of principle or at least sue X10 afterwards for failure of said cameras to reveal scantly clad women all over the place!

  • to learn how to fly an R/C helicopter.

  • OR just get it all in one (Score:3, Informative)

    by ItsIllak ( 95786 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @07:11AM (#6578451) Homepage
    Buy one of these:

    http://www.rctoys.com/draganflyer3.php
    • I'd rather have a gas powered one. Electric powered heli's and planes are constructed to be light weight. As a result, they are easily manipulated by the wind, so outdoor use on a breezy day can be annoying. This guy also only runs for a 5 minutes before it requires a charge...
      • Actually, the LOGO 20 is roughly equivalent to a smaller .30 gas helicopter in weight and outdoor performance. There are many even smaller helicopters (Hornet, Piccolo, etc.) that are gram-shavers and awfully sketchy in a light breeze, but that's not what we're talking about here.

        All flying machines are constructed to be light weight, but the new LOGO 24 will weigh almost four pounds all up and if you use lithium-polymer cells it will weigh a little over three pounds and should fly for 25-35 minutes. My
  • From the viedo page:
    "All videos are made at the field back of my house in Bielefeld, Germany."

    This is clearly a hoax. Everybody knows that Bielefeld does not exist [camp.ccc.de]. But THEY want to make us believe that it does exist.

    Obviously they choose to use advanced tactics to make us believe it exists. But THEY can't fool me ;-P

  • other examples (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jsailor ( 255868 )
    This has been done for some time with RC planes. Examples are here [kitesplus.com]
    [kitesplus.com], here [k8xg.com]
    [k8xg.com], and here [zagicam.com]
    [zagicam.com].

  • A Japanese farmer was cropdusting his rice paddy with an R/C chopper and it cut his leg off when it crashed in to him.

    Moral of the story? Becareful, Slashdotters!
  • A cheap way to do this is with an X10 camera. Once taken out of it's base, the camera element and circuitry is fairly light. The biggest problem with them though is that they use a directional antenna. Unless you have a strong receiver the picture is going to look like crap unless you manage to keep the chopper oriented correctly. You could try aiming the antenna straight down and flying above yourself, but that really limits the usefullness of the setup. I would recommend wiring up an antenna from a 2.4ghz
    • I bought an X10 camera kit. Advertized as a home surveillance system, it consisted of 3 2.4G wireless cameras and a base receiver connected to a PC. What a waste!

      It was impossible to align the PC antenna to receive a clean signal from more than a single camera. The signal degrades quickly with distance.

      The video picture reminded me of UHF TV before cable (rabbit ears). Maybe I should have tried a coat hanger or aluminum foil on the antennae?

  • Kite fliers have been hanging cameras off their kites for a long time now. Despite the freakin' pop-up ads, X-10 has a wireless camera that we have dabbled with on R/C cars for a while.

    It is only logical that as the technology gets better, more features will be backed into smaller spaces making this sort of "event" (new tech in old applications) even more commonplace.

    That said, I'd rather put the camera on a model P-51 Mustang and get some really high speed shots doing insane stunts that would never be h

  • Been done. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Phreakiture ( 547094 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:32AM (#6578832) Homepage

    At the 2003 Rochester Hamfest, some folks were demonstrating a lower-tech, longer-range, lower-cost concept. They were using the 220MHz band to control a blimp (which has a lower energy cost than a chopper, and is also less noisy), and the 440MHz band to send back NTSC video. This setup has been used in previous years, also.

    Of course, it required a license, but the license is easy to get these days, and every geek should have one, because it also makes higher-powered 802.11 legal.

  • High-Rise perverts can take it to a whole new level.

  • Definitely a biohazard (Score:3, Interesting)

    by sakusha ( 441986 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @08:48AM (#6578914)
    RC Copters are popular with Japanese farmers, they use them to spray pesticides on a small scale. Aum Shinrikyo used this idea, they bought 3 mini copters with the intention of spraying botulism toxin over Tokyo. But they crashed all 3 copters while learning how to fly them. End of plan.
    On a related note, here's a story from yesterday's Mainichi Daily News, "Farmer's radio-controlled chopper cuts off his leg"

    http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/archive/200307/30 /2 0030730p2a00m0dm024000c.html

  • UAV (Score:2, Interesting)

    by punish3r ( 660831 )
    I'm suprised no one else has mentioned this yet. If you are 'all-thumbs' and can't learn how to fly a R/C chopper, why not buy/build a system that flies itself based on GPS waypoints. This bad boy has been on my "When I Win Powerball" list for about 3 months now: http://www.nationalinfrared.com/x20/shop/pshow.ph p ?SKU=UAV-E2&id_category=17 3 Hour flight time... TI camera... Even has a target tracking mode! And it literally flies itself. The only shortcoming is that you lose the stationary flight

  • How about a Sony Clie on an RC Airplane? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jbarr ( 2233 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @09:09AM (#6579026) Homepage
    Yup...Someone strapped a Sony Clie to the bottom of an RC plain to film the "experience"! Check it out here [cliesource.com]

  • my own rig (Score:5, Informative)

    by AcesAreWld ( 585270 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @09:11AM (#6579039) Homepage
    Hey guys, I have been flying R/C for a long time. About 3 years ago I built a little, cheap, but highly functional mount for my .30 sized helicopter. Since then I started a company and purchased a 6.5 foot 23 lb helicopter that carries a Canon GL1 high quality video camera, 2.4 Ghz Video Downlink, Canon Powershop S400 Elph for stills, and more. My website is VERY OLD and outdated, but check out some of the stuff I have done here:

    http://www.rchelicam.com [rchelicam.com]

    Most pics on the site are from the old demo .30 rig, the new rig is featured (for now) here:
    http://www.rchelicam.com/gasser/ [rchelicam.com]
    What do ya think?

    --Geoff
    "Aces Are Wild"
    http://www.rchelicam.com [rchelicam.com]
    • NICE!

      I think i could fly an RC copter around all day if i had the money to do it. i don't think that would ever get old.

      why haven't you updated the pages in a while - i'm SURE local news places would pay good money to have you be around when news events are happening, or the occaisional car crash or bank robbery or whatever. these may not happen where you are but you could pay for a hobby like this very easily via the news media.

      anyway keep it up - i wanna see that page updated soon. great stuff there
    • Wow! This is a truly professional setup! I wish you could have more pictures and, may be some high resolution ones. One question: Why is there a need for a pan/tilt? I thought that it would be easier to position the heli in the right spot.
  • For those suggesting the idea of using it to track races, it would be far more practical, cheaper and less threatening to the public to use the weather balloon-pizza-box camera that was a thread here just last week.

    Yes, flying model helicopters are dangerous to J.Q. Public when some nump loses control, yells "Oh Shit!", and the thing comes careening down and gives a bystander a close shave.

    At least the balloon camera combo can be deployed with decent motor-mount cameras, more electronics and you would
  • It's as if they took a remote controlled helicopter and PUT A VIDEO CAMERA ON IT!!!

  • Aerial Robotics (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pergamon ( 4359 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:10AM (#6579542) Homepage
    Sorry, but that really isn't impressive at all compared to the Aerial Robotics Competition [gatech.edu]. They fly themselves!
  • WOW. Some guy bought a camera from X10 and stuck it on a helicopter. Is this really news?

  • How about this then, you won't need to pilot this (Score:3, Informative)

    by mijok ( 603178 ) on Thursday July 31, 2003 @10:16AM (#6579617)
    http://autopilot.sourceforge.net/ It seems very interesting and probably much nicer to use (once it's finsihed) since you get an autopilot :)
  • I cant wait till the attachable mp3 player comes to production, and maybe a obtional bb gun for those pesky tweety birds that block my view into my sisters bedroom window.... Not that i look at my sister or anything... oh shit nevermind
  • I know for a fact that NASCAR and other racing organizations use RC Choppers with a video link to record racing footage up close. They basically have a small video camera mounted on the chopper and fly it close to the edge of the track to get close up camera shots of the cars on the banked section of the oval. Gives a neat birds eye prespective to racing for the viewer at home. I will try and check out the videos from the article once the /. effect has subsided.

  • robot chppers (Score:2, Interesting)

    by savuporo ( 658486 )
    http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/chopper/www /heli_project.html
    Carnegie Mellon's autonomous helicopter model. AFAIC, flew with on-board laser mapping system. Of course, development time and budget are of another league, compared to my fellow countryman Risto here. Restecp for such achievements.
    Funny that our local news outlets, including ./ wannabe minut.ee have never mentioned it
  • ...why not an R/C airplane? They're a lot easier to learn to fly, they can be built to almost any size and speed, and they're cheaper to build. Granted you're not going to get stop action, but you can go slowly (or quickly) enough to follow the pack.
  • Guys, it's just not as easy as you think. I have been flying rc helis for 2 years now. With many hours of simulator time and actual flying time I have finally gotten to the point of doing some mild aerobatics like loops and rolls. No one will just pick up a transmitter and fly one of these on the first try - no one. I have progressed from a .30 size to a .60 size and have great respect for them. It will cost you many dollars to get truely involved in this hobby. From the heli, radio, gyro, engine, and not t

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