
It's official, flying a drone is now so simple that a toddler could do it.
Though the above statement is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time, it's surely a sign of the times in which we live. Cameras costing as little as $500 can produce better, more cinematic imagery than the high-end digital cinema cameras of 10 years ago. Aerial videography, once a means of production reserved solely for those with high budgets, is now in the hands of the masses. In the words of Bob Dylan, "Oh the times they are a changin'."
With that said, drone flight is still a technical and challenging endeavor, one which requires hours upon hours of practice to achieve the smooth, controlled flyovers that we all know and love. But what if the process of flying a drone were simpler, more streamlined, and more automated — so much so that anybody, regardless of experience or skill level, could achieve precise aerial moves? That was the goal behind Ares, a new drone manufacturing startup. Based on their Kickstarter video, it's safe to say that they have achieved that lofty goal.
Video is no longer available: www.kickstarter.com/projects/aresdrones/ares-finally-a-drone-everyone-can-fly
Here's an early prototype of the Ares taking off and landing after the flight path is drawn.
Video is no longer available: youtu.be/raMx2-EvTEg
The other major advancement that comes along with the Ares has to do with drone flight safety and abiding by FAA regulations. For starters, if you happen to draw a flight path through a no-fly zone, the app will let you know in no uncertain terms that you need to check yo-self before you wreck yo-self. It will even keep an eye on weather conditions to make sure that wind speed and other factors won't negatively influence your flight. The best part of these safety precautions is that they're not static. As the FAA and local authorities regulate airspace, the app can be updated to reflect those changes, thus keeping operators up to date with current safety guidelines.
Here's what the app will show when you're near a no-fly zone:
If you're interested in learning more about the Ares Drone, head on over to their Kickstarter page.
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4 Comments
Operating a drone in an easier way open doors to more problems as it is going to be used by more unexperienced users. Technical problems like GPS errors, controller failure, motor, propeller malfuncitons also exist in these platforms; they don't go away with simple usage.
If you look at the current multi rotor auto pilot systems, all high end systems provide auto take off, auto landing, waypoints (which is basically Ares brand doing in this demonstration) in an easy way.
So, personally, this doesn't excite me at all since we had this way point flights for a looong time.
March 29, 2015 at 5:11AM, Edited March 29, 5:11AM
Agreed!
Sometimes it seems that only professionals know the potential dangers of these toys.
March 29, 2015 at 1:14PM
Interesting tech. It seems it uses waypoints in a more simplified way by drawing splines on the tablet. Would be great for beginners flying small machines, but for heavy lifter copters flying ARRIs or Red's you may want to have some form of manual control.
March 29, 2015 at 11:57PM
As much as I'm a fan of making drone's accessible, this sales pitch is trying to make it seem like flying one can be idiot-proof. Drones operate in a three-dimensional space that is occupied by many other things. Sometimes flying isn't as simple as drawing a line and picking an altitude, and to think otherwise can lead to property damage or serious injury. As a drone operator, I'm all in favor of the tech getting better, but I also want everything flying to be operated manually, so that there is always a person who can be held responsible for anything that happens.
March 30, 2015 at 1:57PM, Edited March 30, 1:57PM
i think they should leave drones up the the pros. Some irresponsible kid is going to ruin it for everyone...
April 3, 2015 at 9:10AM