Your own spy drone helicopter for $50

[phantom power]

http://www.miniinthebox.com/3-5ch-remote-control-helicopter-for-ipad-and-iphone-with-camera_p252226.html

Highlights

* Use your Apple iOS or Android device to fly and control the helicopter by downloading the free app available from Apple's App Store or Android Market
* Record what the helicopter sees with the built-in camera
* Take high quality photographs and videos
* Allows you to fly up to 8 meters (24 feet) into the air
* Built-in rechargeable battery rechargeable via any USB port
* Basic controls from the free app include Up, Down, Left, Right, Forward, Backward, take videos and pictures
* Supplied with 512MB memory card to record your camera footage and USB card reader so you can easily transfer photos and videos
* Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (iOS 3.0+) and Android 2.1+
* camera standard pixel: 300000 pixels

[Scuba]

1. Remind me to register amateurdronecameras.com.

[TheWraith]

2. These have been around for a long, long time.

I really don't know why everyone freaks out when you attach the word "drone" to something. Apparently some people have never heard of helicopters or small planes, and are therefore of the impression that it was totally impossible for anyone to see anything from the air before drones.

[phantom power]

3. FWIW, I will explain why it all makes me say "hmmmm"

My prediction is that there will come a point where this kind of tech crosses a threshold where a phase change occurrs, and it becomes rapidly much more ubiquitous. Kind of like how computers were also "around for a long time," but a lot of things changed very very fast when personal computers became affordable.

As with all phase changes, the full ramifications will not be altogether predictable.

[TheWraith]

5. So?

Even assuming it becomes that ubiquitous, what's the real worry? Hell, by that standard it should be welcomed, as it's giving everybody access to some of the same capabilities the police have had for decades. I doubt there's a police agency in the country that doesn't have at least time-share access to a helicopter; they're all over around here in the summer and fall, sweeping for marijuana patches.

Personally I doubt that there's going to be a run on drones the way that there was on computers--they simply have limited utility for the average person, unless you really can't live without your own personal live traffic forecast.

[phantom power]

9. If we're going to build it (and we are), much better that everybody has it...

than leaving it in the hands of the plutocracy.

The police are already starting to discover what it's like to live in a surveillance civilization, what with uppity citizens filming their bad behavior and posting it on the intertubes. Predictably, they aren't liking it much.

Personally, I suspect things will achieve new levels of weird when this tech gets smaller, more autonomous, and ubiquitous, and we all have it aimed at each other, all the time.

Also, get off my lawn, you damn kids with your surveillance smart dust.

[snooper2]

7. It's not like it's ground breaking technology LOL

People have been strapping camcorders to radio controlled planes for a long time

Check out the teddy bear

[Speck Tater]

4. What we really need is...

...A pizza delivery drone that zooms over the top of traffic and hovers at our front door with a fresh hot pizza in under 30 minutes!

[snooper2]

8. you check to see if there's a patent on that design yet

might want to

[Speck Tater]

14. Not my idea.

I heard someone mention it on some Youtube video demo of quadcopters.

[Marblehead]

6. next gen

http://www.military.com/video/guns/machine-guns/the-quadrotor-machine-gun/1581262590001/

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Techically not drones

they are RC planes, or helicopters, or whatever.

Also per FAA regs, you should not go over 400 feet and maintain LOS.

This is more about liability than anything else. There are actual drones for civilian use by the way, that you can program a mission and way points. They could be very useful to ranchers, for example.

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. Techically HOW are they not drones?

The dictionary defines "drone" as a "remote control mechanism".

HOW are they not drones?

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Because they are RC planes

that's ok...

I did not make this up, a LAWYER on NPR, explaining this made that one up, oh a month ago. He was also talking of the PRIVACY concerns and the limits the FAA puts on them right now. Per this lawyer laws have to be updated since what technically deals with this, was last updated in 1987.

He made it quite clear, a DRONE is capable of INDEPENDENT operation from a ground operator with programable missions.

Apparently this is an FAA definition. so feel free to take it up with THEM.

[cherokeeprogressive]

22. So it's only a drone if it's autonomous? Tell that to the "drone" operators employed by the US.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. As I said, take it to the FAA

that said, those drones can loiter over mission areas and are actually programable... so the pilots back at Nellis can actually leave one flying high as one takes over the next or if they are there just for high altitude intel gathering.

But take it to the FAA... this is how they speak of this when it comes to the CIVILIAN WOLRLD and that includes police and fire uses of these things.


You should know by now that one agency does not impact another and that bureocratic definitions do not always comply with Websters.

Now if you want to get to them, there is a lady who's mission is to make bureocratize clear as day... you may want to contact her. She is an actual government employee... She was on on Friday on the Terry Gross show I believe... something about the clear in writing act or something like that. She will give you a friendly ear by the way.

[cherokeeprogressive]

27. I don't need to take it up with anyone. Whether it's under someone's control at the moment or not

both are considered drones. I don't really care what some attorney says the LEGAL definition is. TECHNICALLY (the correct spelling BTW) the helicopter in the OP is a drone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Well if you fly one

careful to follow FAA regs...

[gratuitous]

11. Looks a bit small for an ATG missile to be mounted on it

But I am reliably informed by people eager to miss the point that the iCam is fully weaponizable.

[rsmith6621]

12. 5-7 Minutes Play Time.....

...When these get up to 20-30 minutes I will get excited ..... It would be great to shoot some OWS activity's with one of these.

[Speck Tater]

15. There are 20 minute models

search "quadcopter" on YouTube to see loads of demos of them.

The 20 minute models run around $200 to $400 (and some even higher).

[MineralMan]

13. That really doesn't sound useful for very much.

Stuff that's actually useful costs a lot more than that.

[chrisa]

26. It has a maximum height of 24 feet.

This doesn't sound very useful because it isn't very useful.

More of a kicks-and-giggles kind of thing.

[rustydog]

16. You can buy a video rc helicopter at Target for 50.00 or less

[lonestarnot]

17. Hey stop intruding on my ticket sales!

snort! Cooler dude got on the roof and saw the neighbor w/o her clothes. Woopsie.

[lonestarnot]

18. Suppose it gets tangled up with one of those real spy drones?

[unkachuck]

20. would it be illegal....

....for an OWS drone to bump into a 1%er police drone?....I'm picturing squadrons of kamikaze drones....

[yellowcanine]

24. If they are like the ones I have seen they are not all that easy to fly.

[chrisa]

25. If the RC fails, or anything else goes wrong, you're kind of screwed though

expensive mistake.