UAV fleet micro-maps Matterhorn in less than 6 hours

[Rigged4Flight]

A fleet of autonomous UAVs was able to perform a highly detailed aerial survey of the Matterhorn mountain. I know some of you are hyper sensitive to the coming UAV boom, but from just a purely functional/technical viewpoint, this is amazing.

11 flights
5 hours, 40 minutes
2188 pictures
263.6 km total distance flown
maximum altitudes over 15000' MSL
high density 3D point cloud (300 million points)
covering an area of over 10 square miles
average resolution of the map is less than 8 inches

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuZUSe87miY

 

[Pi1otguy]

The day will come where hundreds if not thousands of home owners start equipping their land with various lidar jammers ("disco balls") and random anti-camera devices.

 

[ClimbnSink]

The day will come where hundreds if not thousands of home owners start equipping their land with various lidar jammers ("disco balls") and random anti-camera devices.

Nope. It will be illegal to interfere or obscure yourself from dronage.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

The day will come where hundreds if not thousands of home owners start equipping their land with various lidar jammers ("disco balls") and random anti-camera devices.

Right. And green lasers for those obnoxious GA pilots.

 

[Pi1otguy]

Right. And green lasers for those obnoxious GA pilots.

A few yachts have anti-camera lasers already. a land based system has to be much simpler.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

A few yachts have anti-camera lasers already. a land based system has to be much simpler.

The system wasn't installed on a US-based yacht, and it won't be (legally) installed on a home here either. There are a whole slew of ANSI standards governing the use of lasers in the US. All of which take a very dim view (pun intended) on lasers being fired in the direction of the eyes. Ah - but they would be fired at UAVs! you say. Yes, but lasers are just coherent light. Easily reflected into the eyes. And who's to say that that nasty little UAV flying a few hundred feet above your backyard pool isn't flying a few hundred feet below a passing GA pilot?

And it has issues with SLR cameras.

http://www.techradar.com/us/news/wo...ich-s-anti-paparazzi-laser-shield-work-637660

 

[Unbeliever]

Yeah, I can't see the US allowing anybody to fire lasers at someone using aided optics.

If the government doesn't take steps to ban it, the tort industry will.

--Carlos V.