3 ms·
I was going to reference the software that makes it possible for complete amateurs to fly these things, but there's no reason that the software couldn't have be
by dionidium 12y ago
I was going to reference the software that makes it possible for complete amateurs to fly these things, but there's no reason that the software couldn't have been developed 30 years ago. So the answer is probably battery technology (driven by cell phones).
- Roboprog 12y agoLithium-polymer batteries are much better than the old Nickel-Cadmium batteries we had when I was a kid. Also, brushless motors (with electronic controllers) are much more efficient than brushed motors. The power to weight ratio of electric propulsion in the last 10 years is incredible.
- Phlarp 12y agoThe software wasn't the hard part. The hard part was getting a multi million dollar military airplane gimbal sensor precise enough to fly by into a package that could both fit on a circuit board and be cheap enough to mass produce. Smartphones got us that.