Just stumbled across this on Slashdot. Thought it could be rather relevant to our hobby. Don't know if the security guard is around? Want to verify points of entry by air? Send in a drone. Discuss.

http://tech.slashd...9/drones-on-demand

I've watched too many war/evil robot movies to have any useful input here.

I doubt this idea will actually come to fruition. A company is not going to give control of an expensive multicopter to untrained people who have never flown one before.

It's been discussed about using multicopters to scout locations. It's incredibly useful; I've done it before with one of my cheaper quadcopters and a first person view setup. But someone who has never flown before will not be able to just jump in and do this without any practice.

Posted by Jecht I doubt this idea will actually come to fruition. A company is not going to give control of an expensive multicopter to untrained people who have never flown one before.

I think you misunderstand the method. You text your coordinates in through the app, and it sends a drone overhead to snap an aerial photo and sends it to you, to survey the area as it is at that moment.

Posted by johnnycanuck I think you misunderstand the method. You text your coordinates in through the app, and it sends a drone overhead to snap an aerial photo and sends it to you, to survey the area as it is at that moment.

You're right, I misunderstood it at first. A combination of barely reading it and trying to work at the same time isn't conducive to getting the idea.

Here is another article with more information. http://www.i-progr...nes-on-demand.html
And here is the company's website: http://www.gofordrones.com/

You don't see a picture of the drones anywhere on their website; it looks like vaporware. Even if it isn't vaporware, I still think the cost of this venture would be too great for a small startup to pull off. I'm a huge skeptic of any business involving "drones" because 1) it's currently banned by the FAA and is illegal to do any of this in the United States and 2) it's much more expensive than these small businesses can handle. You can own and fly multicopters for hobby use, but not for commercial use. This whole area is still in it's infancy and it's going to take some changes in FAA regulation to let anything happen.

as cool as the idea is for novelty, i don't see it being a feasible business model. if they do a test in a single startup coverage area, i expect they fail to generate enough profit to attract investors for a broader regional or national rollout.

the problem is that they'd offer a very niche service, but one that has very high fixed costs for each drone base in terms of staffing and servicing. it would have to be a high price low volume business.

how many businesses or consumers are out there with a specific business or personal need for aerial photography from a drone? how much would they actually be willing to pay for it, and how frequently?

the company claims it currently covers 5 cities. my guess is, it's a guy and his buddies who have digicam quadcoptors. or a single guy with a quadcoptor and he lives within driving distance of 5 cities and is shooting for realtors listing houses or something but it's not his living. or the 5 cities is a lie.

click to view

I dunno about other areas but in the rural south that would be a skeet.

Posted by Aleksandar as cool as the idea is for novelty, i don't see it being a feasible business model. if they do a test in a single startup coverage area, i expect they fail to generate enough profit to attract investors for a broader regional or national rollout. the problem is that they'd offer a very niche service, but one that has very high fixed costs for each drone base in terms of staffing and servicing. it would have to be a high price low volume business. how many businesses or consumers are out there with a specific business or personal need for aerial photography from a drone? how much would they actually be willing to pay for it, and how frequently? the company claims it currently covers 5 cities. my guess is, it's a guy and his buddies who have digicam quadcoptors. or a single guy with a quadcoptor and he lives within driving distance of 5 cities and is shooting for realtors listing houses or something but it's not his living. or the 5 cities is a lie.

Real Estate and development companies.

Posted by Vectored Approach Just stumbled across this on Slashdot. Thought it could be rather relevant to our hobby. Don't know if the security guard is around? Want to verify points of entry by air? Send in a drone. Discuss. http://tech.slashd...9/drones-on-demand

Security guards might start using them too at bigger places. It would make their jobs a lot easier.

Posted by jeepdave Real Estate and development companies.

you have named businesses willing to pay for occasional aerial photography. you have not named businesses able to make nation-wide 'drone on demand' services profitable, or even able to capitalize to the point of existing in the first place.

Posted by Aleksandar you have named businesses willing to pay for occasional aerial photography. you have not named businesses able to make nation-wide 'drone on demand' services profitable, or even able to capitalize to the point of existing in the first place.

Also repo men. Oh what I would have given for a drone when I use to repo cars.

Hot damn this would be awesome for mine scouting.