Wednesday, November 16, 2016

How to build your own drone


WIRED
RUBY LOTT-LAVIGNA

November 7, 2016



Verson Kerswell, founder of Extreme Fliers, explains how to build a drone





Drones are becoming more and more prevalent - from delivering medicine to remote areas to even illegally taking phones into prisons. When Verson Kerswell, founder of Extreme Fliers, started noticing the commercialisation of drones, he wondered why he couldn’t build small ones that even kids could assemble.


“I used to love building robots and I used to tinker with fighting robots. Then I went to study computer science, and I saw these big, expensive drones and realised we could make smaller ones,” Kerswell said.

Launched in 2011, Kerswell went on Dragon’s Den - but didn't receive any investment. Undeterred, he launched a crowdfunding pledge on Indegogo, rasing $3.5 million. After the success of the campaign, he has now built three iterations of the drones, including one that can film its path and can be watched in 3D in a VR headset.


So, how do you build a drone? You can, in fact, do it in ten easy steps. Using a kit from Extreme Fliers and a steady hand, a miniature personal drone could be all yours.

1. Set out all the pieces on the table in front of you
2. Place PCB into the central frame fitting flush with each screw hole
3. Insert motor arm A into the central frame
4. Place rubber washer over the screw hole
5. Take a screw and put it in place. Ensure the hole in the arm matches up with the hole in the frame
6. Tighten holding screw with screwdriver
7. Repeat for all other arms
8. Plugs the arm into PCB
9. Place shell over the PCB and secure onto the drone
10. Fly your drone!


Although drones are becoming more commercial, there are risks involved in their popularity. How do we regulate the drone fly space? As for Extreme Fliers, what does the future hold?

“The technology is changing super fast, we could see fully autonomous soon. The tech is getting more sophisticated and cheaper. Your personal drone will become your personal pet.”

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2 comments:

  1. If you are a beginner in DIY drone hobby, I suggest that you start with ARF kits. They offer the fun of building your own drone, but you don't start from scratch and it is a pretty simple process. You can check out some of the best ARF kits in this great article that covers all the steps needed to make a drone, and offers some of the best kits suggestions as well: http://mydronelab.com/best-pick/build-your-own-drone-kit.html

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