5 ms·
Not that impressive if you are familiar with the technology. As someone mentioned, this is, at its simplest, an RC helicopter inside a sphere. RC helicopters
by algoshift 15y ago
Not that impressive if you are familiar with the technology.
As someone mentioned, this is, at its simplest, an RC helicopter inside a sphere.
RC helicopters have had off-the-shelf 3 axis gyros and 3 axis accelerometers available for quite some time. There are probably well over a dozen such systems in the market today.
As far as cost is concerned, the numbers are on par with what was mentioned. My smallest helicopter system probably runs about $2,000 or so ready to fly. This includes carbon fiber rotors, skeleton, 3-axis stabilization system, radio, etc.
If you dared get close to an RC heli with a stabilization system and push it you'd see exactly what you saw in this video: The heli would recover to its prior attitude. In real life wind gusts do this all the time.
No doubt they are writing additional code to take advantage of the spherical platform.
If you are interested in seeing what a modern high-performance RC heli can do today check out this seven year old kid flying one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJs1gBLiuQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJs1gBLiuQ
Here's another example of what these machines can do today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgbXcb1P6eU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgbXcb1P6eU
Yes, they are dangerous. Power systems can exceed 10KW on the high performance helis.
Here's one of the many commercially available 3-axis flight stabilization systems in the market:
http://www.digitalflybar.com/products/sk720.html http://www.digitalflybar.com/products/sk720.html
Time to take apart one of the helis and build a sphere around it!
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- lloeki 15y agoThe difference here is not so much that it hovers and stabilises position, but that it has two modes of flying: when it hovers, it works like a helicopter (the propeller provides support), but when it goes forward, it works like a plane (the wings provide support while the propeller only provides forward movement).
- marvin 15y agoThis made me think of an experimental aircraft design I saw once. It uses a huge ducted propeller to be able to hover while at the same time being able to fly forward, with the wings (and duct) generating lift as in a traditional airplane. The problem is that the cockpit stays fixed, so hovering would be very disorienting for the pilot. http://www.esotec.org/hbird/index.html http://www.esotec.org/hbird/index.html
- CountHackulus 15y agoThis is pretty much how the new F-35B (STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter) works. There's a ducted fan in the middle of the plane. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35C#F-35B http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35C#F-35B
- speleding 15y agoIn addition to the two flying modes it can roll on the ground to get to hard to reach places. I've not seen a helicopter do that before.
- mortenjorck 15y agoI honestly have to wonder if that was inspired by a certain Japanese video game series in which the protagonist does exactly the same thing.
- algoshift 15y agoOK, build a sphere around the $200 VTOL plane I linked to above and you have that too.
- borism 15y agomaking that sphere not interfere with airflow from the rotors is not trivial.
- algoshift 15y agoAlso nothing new. You can buy one right now for about $200. Here's one example: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFLU4780 http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=EFL...
- algoshift 15y agoHere's a video: http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Files/EFLU4780.wmv http://www.horizonhobby.com/ProdInfo/Files/EFLU4780.wmv
- calebmpeterson 15y agoSo what is different from the flying orb (other than the chassis)? avionics software? Why $200 vs $1400?
- calebmpeterson 15y agoIf I wanted to build one, what off-the-shelf components would I use (electronics and controller especially)? What pieces of hardware and software would I have to implement? Bottom line: this is cool, how would I build one in my garage with as little wheel-reinvention as possible?