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This is a big, big worry of mine. I'm considering doing commercial work with drones, and the major thing holding me back is the risk of injuring others with th

This is a big, big worry of mine. I'm considering doing commercial work with drones, and the major thing holding me back is the risk of injuring others with these things. The DJI Phantom, and Inspire, could kill someone if they fell from high enough. And I can tell you from personal experience, the software is simply not even CLOSE to bug-free enough for me to be worry free. The more I think about it, the more I think, the risk of flying these things in populated places just isn't worth it.

themodelplumber 11y ago
Seems like a good place to put Extreme Drone Crashes - Compilation 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9rnTk6FBzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9rnTk6FBzs hehe
- nailer 11y ago
  Reddit's defaults, for some reason, includes 'wtf' which frequently has gore pictures. One of which was someone whose face encountered a drone.
nine_k 11y ago
I wonder if a heavier-than-air airship design would be safer. A balloon with helium or even hydrogen would let such a device fall slowly with engines off, and motors would let it fly up and maneuver around swiftly enough.
- sean-duffy 11y ago
  Safer maybe, but nowhere near as swift and agile as a multirotor, and much more susceptible to wind.
  - nine_k 11y ago
    Why, it can still be multi-rotor, and even capable of bigger payload with the same battery. The air drag from the balloon will be an issue. OTOH the motors could be run at low power when cruising and at high power when speedy maneuvers are required. The size will definitely be bigger. But if we talk about professional-grade drones (for video reporting, etc), they are large and expensive as they are. Improved safety and thus easier time getting allowed in to a worthy event might be more important than a lean package.
    - vollmond 11y ago
      Could the airship configuration be a recovery mechanism? IE, instead of having a parachute or airbag to soften the landing, have compressed helium release into an airship and then continue powered flight with whichever motors remain?
0xdeadbeefbabe 11y ago
When I did RC planes, not even automated drones, the common repeated expression was, "spectators are almost always a bad idea." Edit: which makes for a lonely hobby.

themodelplumber 11y ago

Seems like a good place to put Extreme Drone Crashes - Compilation 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9rnTk6FBzs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9rnTk6FBzs hehe

nailer 11y ago
Reddit's defaults, for some reason, includes 'wtf' which frequently has gore pictures. One of which was someone whose face encountered a drone.

nine_k 11y ago

I wonder if a heavier-than-air airship design would be safer. A balloon with helium or even hydrogen would let such a device fall slowly with engines off, and motors would let it fly up and maneuver around swiftly enough.

sean-duffy 11y ago
Safer maybe, but nowhere near as swift and agile as a multirotor, and much more susceptible to wind.
- nine_k 11y ago
  Why, it can still be multi-rotor, and even capable of bigger payload with the same battery. The air drag from the balloon will be an issue. OTOH the motors could be run at low power when cruising and at high power when speedy maneuvers are required. The size will definitely be bigger. But if we talk about professional-grade drones (for video reporting, etc), they are large and expensive as they are. Improved safety and thus easier time getting allowed in to a worthy event might be more important than a lean package.
  - vollmond 11y ago
    Could the airship configuration be a recovery mechanism? IE, instead of having a parachute or airbag to soften the landing, have compressed helium release into an airship and then continue powered flight with whichever motors remain?

0xdeadbeefbabe 11y ago

When I did RC planes, not even automated drones, the common repeated expression was, "spectators are almost always a bad idea." Edit: which makes for a lonely hobby.