FreeFly Systems' ALTA 8 - Say hello to Drone Surfing

[JOY_MRC]

Drone technology is being used very extensively for cinematography these days. From Movies to Car reviews, we use it and they serve as a very cost effective solution when compared to renting a chopper and doing stunts with it . They also provide better shake free videos*(*Conditions Apply - In the hands of a professional drone pilot ). With vastly changing applications, the drones have seen many upgrades and enhancements. The more propellers and motors you add to a drone, the more weight it can lift.

The FreeFly Systems' Alta 8 is designed to carry heavy video equipment, has eight rotors making it pretty strong. How strong?

Strong enough to tow a Surfer on a wake board. FACT.

Say hello to the new sport of drone-surfing where waves aren’t really necessary.
Is this even possible? Standing on the beach the drone probably isn’t strong enough to pull the surfer off his feet.

But as you can see in the video, that’s why he had to get a running start and hop on the wake board for the stunt to work.

Does a massive drone like this have enough strength to maintain the surfer’s forward momentum on a low-friction lake? Without a doubt, YES.

In fact, there have been similar stunts before, including a Kid being pulled on a snowboard on a drone.That drone is considerably smaller than the Alta 8.

I'm sure social networking junkies will take it up as 'a thing' and call it something like "Drone bucket Challenge" or something .



Source - Sploid

[Praveen]

Wow, these drones must be really powerful to pull something as heavy as a human being. How powerful are the motors? These drones also need a really high-capacity to sustain such flights, don't you think?
I feel, in civilian applications, these drones are becoming bigger and more powerful whereas in the military the drones are becoming more and more compact and small, to avoid detection. Check out this drone called the Black Hornet Nano (by far the coolest G.I. Joe-esque name I've ever heard ) developed by Prox Dynamics, Norway. This tiny marvel is just 10 cm long and weighs just 16 grams including the batteries. The drone is equipped with three cameras, one at the front, one facing directly downwards and one more at the front, facing 45 degrees downwards. It has a hovering time of 20-25 mins and takes pretty much the same time to charge its batteries to 90% capacity.
There's another version, PD- 100 Black Hornet, which has night vision function and has a range of up to 1.6 km. These drones have a lot of potential applications, ranging from law enforcement, search and rescue to military and special forces! Quite interesting, don't you think?

Do check out their website here. And here's a cool video by Pixel Planet:

[JOY_MRC]

Wow, these drones must be really powerful to pull something as heavy as a human being. How powerful are the motors? These drones also need a really high-capacity to sustain such flights, don't you think?
I feel, in civilian applications, these drones are becoming bigger and more powerful whereas in the military the drones are becoming more and more compact and small, to avoid detection. Check out this drone called the Black Hornet Nano (by far the coolest G.I. Joe-esque name I've ever heard ) developed by Prox Dynamics, Norway. This tiny marvel is just 10 cm long and weighs just 16 grams including the batteries. The drone is equipped with three cameras, one at the front, one facing directly downwards and one more at the front, facing 45 degrees downwards. It has a hovering time of 20-25 mins and takes pretty much the same time to charge its batteries to 90% capacity.
There's another version, PD- 100 Black Hornet, which has night vision function and has a range of up to 1.6 km. These drones have a lot of potential applications, ranging from law enforcement, search and rescue to military and special forces! Quite interesting, don't you think?

Do check out their website here. And here's a cool video by Pixel Planet:

That's a cool video Praveen. You are damn right that these are inspired from hollywood movies . I'd really love to see a proper Iron man Suit(Indian version with belly fat corrections :P ) for myself.

I am posting the Alta-8 specifications if anyone wants to know more details.

ALTA-8 SPECIFICATIONS

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DIMENSIONS
Unfolded Diameter (does not include Props)	1325 mm
Folded Diameter (does not include Props)	660 mm
Height to base of Toad In The Hole (TITH)	263 mm

POWERPLANT
Number of Motors	8
Motor Type	Direct Drive 3-Phase PMAC Outrunner
Motor Make and Model	Freefly F45
Motor Max Continuous Power Output	350 W
Motor Max Instantaneous Peak Power Output	950 W
Max RPM (flat rated)	6300 RPM
Equivalent Kv	384
Electronic Speed Controller	Freefly Silent-Drive Sine Wave ESC

PROPELLERS
Make and Model	Freefly ALTA Propeller
Material	Carbon fiber with balsa core
Propeller Orientation	(4) CW and (4) CCW Props
Propeller Type	18 x 6 Folding

BATTERY
Nominal Battery Voltage	6S / 22.2V
Maximum Battery Size	240 x 180 x 80 mm
Maximum Battery Quantity	2 Battery Packs (Parallel)
Minimum Battery Quantity	2 Battery Packs (Parallel)
Battery Connectors	2x EC5 (Parallel)
Required Minimum Battery Discharge Rating	250A / 500A Peak

WEIGHTS
Maximum Gross for Takeoff1	18.1 kg (40.0 lbs)
Maximum Useful Load2	12.0 kg (26.4 lbs)
Maximum Payload3	9.1 kg (20.0 lbs)
Typical Standard Empty Weight	6.2 kg (13.6 lbs)

SPECIFIC LOADINGS
Typical Specific Power4	145 W/kg
Thrust Ratio at Max Takeoff Weight (MTOW)1	1.85 : 1

FLIGHT CONTROLLER
Model Name	Freefly SYNAPSE Flight Controller
Flight Modes	Manual
Height Hold Mode
Position Mode
Return-To-Home
Autoland
Supported Inputs	DSMX, DSM2, S.Bus, S.Bus2, PPM, FPV SD
Supported Radios	Futaba S.Bus & S.Bus2
DSMX, DSM2 (Spektrum/JR)
PPM, PPM Invert, PPM Graupner
Supported Radio Controller Telemetry Systems	Futaba w/ built-in voltage sense port
Minimum Radio Controller Channels Required	>5
Supported GNSS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Supported SBAS	QZSS, WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS
First-Person View System Video Formats	NTSC, PAL
Supported First-Person View Transmitters	Skyzone
BOSCAM
ImmersionRC
Fat Shark
Supported First-Person View Cameras	Ready Made RC
First-Person View OSD Telemetry	User Configurable
Installed Transceivers	Wi-Fi
Data Logging Rate	25 Hz

LIGHTING AND INDICATION
Status Light	1-Watt Red, 1-Watt White LED
Orientation Lights	3-Watt RGB LED
Orientation Light Color	Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, White

ISOLATION SYSTEM
Vibration Isolation System	Silicone O-Rings
ISOLATION SYSTEM OPTIONS
1. Soft/Light Payloads	Red O-Rings
2. Medium/Mid Payloads	Teal O-Rings
3. Stiff/Heavy Payloads	Black O-Rings

PAYLOAD MOUNTING
Mounting Locations	Bottom and Top Mount
Mounting System	Freefly Toad In The Hole (TITH) Quick Release
FPV Camera Mount	Between booms 8 & 1
FPV Transmitter Mount	Boom 2

POWERPLANT LIMITATIONS
Maximum RPM	6300 RPM
Maximum Battery Voltage	25.2 Volts
Minimum Average Battery Voltage	19.2 Volts

ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITATIONS

Do not fly ALTA 8 in temperatures exceeding 45°C (113°F) or below -20°C(-4°F).5

FLIGHT CONTROLLER LIMITS
Maximum Pitch/Roll Angle	45°
Maximum Yaw Rate	150° / second

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[Arjun]

JOY MRC I had heard about some usages of drones by film crews and for car shoots. Some riders were using drones to shoot different angles while they ride the bikes. This however is an entirely new application. One thing that is unclear is about the legality of drones in the country. As per my understanding drones are still not legally allowed for civilian use. This was the reason the above mentioned rider removed some of the drone shot videos and also has stopped using drones. That said, there are companies which are renting out drones for similar photo ops. Does anyone have any clarity about drone usage in the country? Is there any application or specification mentioned which allows and disallows drones of some capacity or capability.

[Roshun]

Arjun
Drones require permissions now from the DGCA. This ruling came in last year after many were seen using drones near airports, posing a security risk. Now, even for videography, you need to get DGCA permission for operating a drone. This is bad news for individual hobbyists as it is now clearly illegal to fly a drone (it's still a grey area on RC helicopters / planes, which are classified as toys). We have an in-house production team based in Bangalore - Drishya 360 - that is adept at aerial and 360 degree photography using drones.