PBS Hummingbird drone

ThoughtLess

New member
So PBS just dropped a video about monarch butterflies and they "used" a Hummingbird drone. My issue is with some of the shots the drone really looks like it's just on a stick someone is holding out of frame. It's a tiny bicopter drone with an HD camera onboard, metal mesh over the top of the props, perhaps gyro based control? There are two "control surfaces" but they never seem to move, the props don't look like they are spinning fast enough, and I can't imagine it would have more than about 2 min of flight time. Just want some more knowledgeable people to tell me I'm way off base or maybe PBS did pull some shenanigans...

 

"Corpse"

Legendary member
So PBS just dropped a video about monarch butterflies and they "used" a Hummingbird drone. My issue is with some of the shots the drone really looks like it's just on a stick someone is holding out of frame. It's a tiny bicopter drone with an HD camera onboard, metal mesh over the top of the props, perhaps gyro based control? There are two "control surfaces" but they never seem to move, the props don't look like they are spinning fast enough, and I can't imagine it would have more than about 2 min of flight time. Just want some more knowledgeable people to tell me I'm way off base or maybe PBS did pull some shenanigans...

I do know that a lot of micro drone manufacturers do make micro hd setups. I also know that the micro brushless motors like what I have definitely have enough power, but I still call cow-crap. I agree the motors don't look like they are spinning fast enough. It is definitely do-able, but it doesn't look like they did. I wouldn't trust it until I saw a full list of their parts. I kinda want to try to replicate the results though, @The Hangar do you still have that 3d printer?:LOL:
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
I do know that a lot of micro drone manufacturers do make micro hd setups. I also know that the micro brushless motors like what I have definitely have enough power, but I still call cow-crap. I agree the motors don't look like they are spinning fast enough. It is definitely do-able, but it doesn't look like they did. I wouldn't trust it until I saw a full list of their parts. I kinda want to try to replicate the results though, @The Hangar do you still have that 3d printer?:LOL:
Yup - I still have it. Does it print? No... :rolleyes::LOL:
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Knowing about Aeroviroment and their fly / grasshopper sized de-classified stuff, maybe.... the slow prop speed is probably caused by a moire pattern between the camera sync speed and the constant spin up and down of the prop controller gyros. Cant see the servo move, but the wings do visibly at around :50. How much power would you need for 20 grams thrust?
 

"Corpse"

Legendary member
Knowing about Aeroviroment and their fly / grasshopper sized de-classified stuff, maybe.... the slow prop speed is probably caused by a moire pattern between the camera sync speed and the constant spin up and down of the prop controller gyros. Cant see the servo move, but the wings do visibly at around :50. How much power would you need for 20 grams thrust?
Not very much. I have a micro drone that weighs 81 grams and has a 10-1 power to weight. If you were to use only two, it would have probably close to 5-1. It would still work fine for a cinematic drone.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
This is nothing new. Someone else posted this very same thing a few years back and we debunked it as fake.

As for the link @The Hangar dropped I make it a point to not even click any videos with a white dude throwing gang signs.. It just supports and elevates generally not good ideas or practices no matter who made it.
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Check out about 55 seconds in though - it looks like it's doing some corrections.

Did you notice there was no rocking at all when it was moving forward and stopped to counter the motion?
Did you notice that as fine and light as butterfly wings are they do not get suctioned to the top screen of the rotors when they land on it?

That MAY actually fly on its own but not for that video. There was no yaw adjustment at all and have you ever gotten a multirotor that small to hover that stable and not bob up and down at all?
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Ah yes, BUT you may recall that @PsyBorg got monstrously hacked I believe in this very venue by downloading a video.

Not by downloading... someone is actively using the debug screen for the web page to get ip addys then trying to exploit things like my cheapie ghetto cellphone I had at the time that never allowed me to update the os so I got hit with an Iframe hack exploit.

My firewall always pops up port scan messages shortly after I open up the forums and several times over the course I have it open. There are active users here doing some dirty underhanded crap. that is why I go after every potential exploit I see here and report and post warnings if its an obvious phishing attempt. things like these morons quoting posts then editing external links that were NEVER in the original post.