Weekend Economists Ring in the Old, Wring Out the New: Dec. 30, 2011 to Jan. 2, 2012

[Demeter]

147. George Washington: Fly your own drone for under $300

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/01/george-washington-fly-your-own-drone-for-under-300.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29

The Parrot A.R. Drone can be launched and controlled with your iPhone or iPad:

VIDEO CLIP AT LINK

The Parrot A.R. Drone costs $299. The Parrot A.R. Drone can maintain stable flight at an altitude of up to 20 feet, and a maximum altitude of up to 160 feet. More sophisticated drones can fly higher and for longer, in a more stable fashion.

For example, protesters in Warsaw used a spy drone last month to see what police were doing. As diydrones.com notes:

People tend to assume that UAVs will be used by the police to keep watch on us, but as … video, taken by a RoboKopter of riots in Warsaw, shows, they can equally be used by citizens to keep tabs on the police. No need to wait for the local news to send a helicopter to get the aerial scene of a demonstration, just Do It Yourself!

SEVERAL VIDEO CLIPS AT LINK


For more amazing technology, see LINKS.

For information on building your own drone, start AT THIS LINK:

https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9Cquadrocopter%E2%80%9D+or+%E2%80%9Cmikrocopter%E2%80%9D&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=quadrocopter+OR+mikrokopter+OR+mikrocopter+OR+microcopter&pbx=1&oq=quadrocopter+OR+mikrokopter+OR+mikrocopter+OR+microcopter&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=18l9723l2l10122l13l10l2l0l0l1l270l2017l0.4.6l12l0&fp=1&biw=1024&bih=578&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&cad=b

Disclaimer: The FAA apparently considers do-it-yourself drones to be legal. We don’t know whether there are any Department of Homeland Security or other regulations or laws prohibiting flying your own spy drone. Consult with a representative of all appropriate Federal, state, county and local agencies to determine whether or not you may fly your own drone.

NOTE If I’d run across this post a little earlier, I would have noted that a drone makes a great stocking stuffer! Also, drone with a camera is a lot harder to take out with a nightstick than a hand-held camera or cell. Subject, of course, to the caveats above. Anyhow, I love DIY. –lambert