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UAV drones come in all shapes and sizes, used for a variety of purposes from recreational fun to neighborhood surveillance. Drones were only associated with uses for military and space research but now with emerging technology and cheaper materials, they are easily attainable to the general public at a very low cost. What is an amateur UAV? An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft that has the capability of autonomous flight, without a pilot in control. Amateur UAVs are non-military and non-commercial. They typically fly under “recreational” exceptions to FAA regulations on UAVs, so long as the pilots/programmers keep them within tight limits on altitude and distance. Usually the UAV is controlled manually by Radio Control (RC) at take-off and landing, and switched into GPS-guided autonomous mode only at a safe altitude. What do I need to make one? 1) An RC plane, muticopter (quadcopter/hexacopter/tricopter, etc) or helicopter. You can buy them ready to fly, including autopilot 2) An autopilot, such as APM 2.5 3) Optional: digital camera or video transmission equipment What does DIY Drones have to offer? The DIY Drones community has created the world’s first “universal autopilot”, ArduPilot Mega (APM). It combines sophisticated IMU-based autopilot electronics with free Arduino-based autopilot software that can turn any RC vehicle into a fully-autonomous UAV. Content from http://www.diydrones.com For more information on DIY drones, check out the following websites: http://diydrones.com/forum http://www.reddit.com/r/diydrones http://singularityhub.com/2010/05/10/flying-drones-for-your-home-from-diy-drones-video/

Monochrome USB Board Cameras * Lens Sold Separately DMM 22BUC03-ML • 320×240 to 744×480 • Up to 200 Frames Per Second $249 DMM 42BUC03-ML • 640×480 to 1280×960 • Up to 49 Frames Per Second $359 DMM 72BUC02-ML • 640×480 to 2592×1944 • Up to 78 Frames Per Second $359 Color USB Board Cameras * Lens Sold Separately DFM 22BUC03-ML • 320×240 to 744×480 • Up to 200 Frames Per Second $249 DFM 42BUC03-ML • 640×480 to 1280×960 • Up to 49 Frames Per Second $359 DFM 72BUC02-ML • 640×480 to 2592×1944 • Up to 78 Frames Per Second $359

Say hello to the impressive IRIS camera control system, combining the precision of modern robotics with the reach and flexibility needed to capture not just one technical shot, but all of them. It’s the ultimate camera control system for the professional filmmaker, put the camera where you want it, when you want it, over and over again. FLEXIBLE CONFIGURATION – Multiple robot models, remote heads, linear axes, floor and ceiling mounts PRECISION AND REPEATABILITY – +/- .06 mm at maximum speed, maximum reach, maximum payload SYNCHRONIZED MOTION AND CUES – Coordinate multiple robots and external hardware to the millisecond LENS AUTOMATION – Follow focus control and nodal point calibration routines Check out Bot & Dolly for more information on the IRIS system and its smaller cousin, the SCOUT.

Imagine the possibilities with the amazing HIR15-500M lens. With its powerful infrared corrected, special low dispersion glass lens: It will automatically focus in any spectrum of visible or infrared light and in any weather condition from sunny to hazy. Reaching pristine clarity at up to 13,800 feet. You would be able to see the faces of your favorite game players from the highest nose bleed seats. Record at your favorite outdoor venue as if you were front row from miles away. Or simply tell if it’s a bird, a plane, or something else that otherwise would be impossible to see with the naked eye. This lens will truly give you a hawk’s eye with bonus infrared capabilities in whatever you like to do.

Everyone carries around compact technology these days. iPads, iPhones, Android devices, the list goes on. But what if some of those components were combined for a much larger purpose? DARPA has accomplished exactly that. They’ve developed a new system called ARGUS built from an array of 368 image sensors forming 1.8 billion pixels, it is the world’s highest resolution camera. ARGUS is a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) / drone add-on. Since most of ARGUS’ components and designs are classified, we only get a peek at the enclosure. However, they show is an image taken from 17,500 feet in the air of a medium sized city that covers about 15 miles around, and even from that height, DARPA can digitally zoom in and see birds, people waving, walking, driving, etc. A million terabytes can be recorded in one day using ARGUS, which is the equivalent of 5,000 hours of high definition footage. With technology like this, it may not be long before UAVs are commonly seen flying through the air. Source: The Atlantic