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Had a second to do some reading, and found that SenseFly has software called pix4d that stitches all the aerial photos the drone takes into a 3D map! This map is completely accurate with regard to elevations and locations. Check out their video at www.pix4d.com .
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After reading a lot at diydrones.com, I am going to try to fab up a RC plane with digital cameras on board for creating very high definition optical scans of prospecting areas. It will be fully programmable using GPS points, and be able to fly hopefully for 30 minutes at over 20mph, so it will be able to cover a lot of territory on one battery charge. I would also like to have streaming video coming from the plane, which appears to be totally feasible, and it will have a GPS tracking feature in case the plane "takes a dive" and you have to go find it in the woods/desert.
So far the cost to build this appears to be less than a third of what FlySense is asking, though I do love their product, it is just way too expensive.
To lessen the visual impact on wildlife areas, I am going to paint the bottom blue, or paint the whole thing to look like a hawk/eagle.
It also appears you can use a thermal imaging camera, which makes one wonder if different wavelengths of light might give clues to ground surface minerology. I know there are companies claiming right now to be able to locate large deposits of minerals using imaging scans from planes and orbit, but not sure if that is just vaporware or not.Comment
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I also found these below, and will check out pricing and capabilities on them:
http://www.smartplanes.se/
http://www.cropcam.com/
http://www.lehmannaviation.com/
http://www.mavinci.com/
Haven't had a chance to read everything, but some are priced well below FlySense. So maybe something is available off the shelf for a more reasonable price.Comment
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And of course its always good to make sure you aren't violating FAA regulations. See this:
http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives...FACT_Sheet.pdf
Says to meet recreational guidelines for UAV's you must stay below 400 feet, which is perfect for prospecting uses. The closer to the ground the better! And if you are only doing this way out in the national forest where there are no populated areas, I don't think the Feds will be objecting. You also must maintain line of sight or have on-board video, and be able to take control from the ground, which will increase complexity of design. I want to just skim the tree tops taking high def photos for 3D orthomosaic maps.Comment
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What model of delta wing do you have Midas? Got any photos? I am starting to search for a platform, and a flying wing is how I want to go to keep size down and accomodate the high altitudes I will be operating at.Originally posted by Midas View PostComment
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Nah sorry no photos. Can't find my camera. Or my cameras charger cable. Or the cable that connects it to my computer. And no they probably aren't all in the same place. Are you starting to see why I hardly ever finish anything ?Originally posted by UncleMatt View Post You wouldn't be able to buy one anyway it was a full custom job. Hand carved out of two polystyrene blocks. I'm sure not the route you are planning on taking, nor one I'd recommend. When your messing about about trying to get your PID constants right you want to be fully confident your airframe is at least capable of stable flight. Polystyrene wasn't the best choice either, no where near as durable as polypropylene foam which would be what the swingcam is made of.
MidasComment
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Is the swingcam plane availabe as a kit? Last thing I want to do is replicate the efforts of others who already have suitable platforms on the shelf. I want to get into the field with this as soon as next spring.
I am wading through all of the other vendors I posted, but still see price tags that are quite high. Will do some more research before making final decision on which way to go, but building my own would give me an intriguing project to work on this winter and add new skills sets. And my young nephew went bonkers when I showed him this stuff, and he calls me every ten minutes wanting more details and asking when we will get started building. Must be nice to have a mad scientist uncle.Comment
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I might be mistaken, but it appears the swinglet cam plane is a variant of the zagi EPP plane found here:
http://www.zagi.com/
I wonder if this very simple and efficient design would be suitable? And the polypropelene construction makse it very durable.Comment
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If you think altitude is going to be a problem then you should be looking for a a plane with a nice broad wing span. Also you probably won't be able to get your engineering as tight as the swinglet cam so you may need some extra lift capability.
MidasComment
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I also have to pack this stuff very far up in the mountain at very high elevations, not near any roads at all. So I have to keep wing span and dimensions down to what can be easily carried for ten miles or more on a backpack. I will probably have to assmble it on site so it can be broken down for transport.Originally posted by Midas View PostComment
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I just heard back from SenseFly that they can not sign off on using their system above 2500m. So I may have to go with a much wider wingspan after all on this. I will just have to figure out a way to break things down for backpacking.Comment
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http://www.stenulson.net/rcflight/index.htm
A guy at the link above lives at 10,000 feet, and has flown his RC craft at altitudes up to 13,000 feet. So it can be done, I just need to modify a plane to accomodate the high elevation.Comment
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the hubsun spyhawk comes with FPV and everything all in for a few 100 $
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d09A4YNhU8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MIMB...eature=relatedComment
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I checked it out, and that is a very small plane with a very small wingspan. It also takes video from the nose, and I want straight down. Thanks for the post though.Originally posted by target View Post
I am also looking at the possibility of using a simple helium balloon to loft a camera up to 150 feet or so, and if wind conditions permit, walk along as it takes photos. If conditions do not permit, perhaps just staying stationary while taking photos, and reeling it down before moving a small distance before sending it up again. This would make things super simple, and if I could somehow figure out how to have the camera view on my droid, I could make sure I was getting everything with good overlap.
My friend just suggested I use a very small motor and prop and battery on one side of the balloon, and the camera serves as the counterweight on the other side. Add balance weights as necessary to keep thing even, then turn on motor, activate camera, release balloon, and photos are taken all around as camera rises, and also at top altitude. Then recover. You might be able to get away with attaching a small angled fin to the side of the ballon to catch a little wind and rotate the balloon as well.Comment
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the Hubsan is cheap enough to use it as a source of parts to canabalise it or build the parts into a more suitable design .
but with bigger design comes bigger batteries and bigger servos .Comment
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