JustErik

I don't know if this is old news, but I stumbled across it and just had to share. An RC'er in Canada mounted a pan/tilt video camera in his plane and pilots it via virtual reality goggles. The goggles are equipped with gyroscopes that allow the camera to mimic his head movements. [link=http://www.therawfeed.com/2006/09/vr-gear-makes-rc-airplane-coolest-toy.html]THIS LINK[/link] is to a video shot from the plane. It's very well done and is something I'd love to have the ambition to tackle. How hard do you suppose this was to accomplish?

kd7ost

Go talk to Vrflyer at MrRC-cam's forum. He did it.

http://www.rc-cam.com/forum/

http://www.rc-cam.com/forum/index.ph...opic=1066&st=0

Dan

kd7ost

And this thread on RC Groups too.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ght=vr+rc+gyro

JettPilot

My Feedback: (6)

You do not need the pan and tilt to fly by goggles. If you want to fly a plane by video, the best way to do it is to aim the camera out the front of the plane an fly. The gyro pan is extremely difficult to build, and is just that much more to go wrong and end in failure. Its also much harder to fly an airplane with your camera view changing all the time...

If you MUST move the camera, put a tilt servo on it and connect it to a knob.

If you want to build and design for a very long time, try to build the fancy pan system....


If you want to fly by video, then aim the camera out front and fly.

JettPilot

JustErik

Thanks for all the guidance everyone. I may tackle this over the winter when I have more time available to spend in the workshop. Oh and Jett, I'm envious of your ground support crew. It's so hard to find qualified help.

rob10000

Well, I bought one, and believe me, there is no building involved, other than the physical pan/tilt mechanics for the camera. You simply program it similiar to programming an Phoenix speed control, and then go fly.
It IS a bit more difficult at first, vs a fixed POV, but you quickly get used to it.
As JP said, you certainly don't need it to fly by video, but it adds a whole new dimension.

deli_conker

Where did you buy it at?

rob10000

I bought my headtracker integrated into 640x480 goggles.
You can get just the sensor, and use goggles of your choice, too.
[link=http://www.rc-tech.ch/web/index.php?keyword=gyrocontrol&Itemid=1&option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse]RC-Tech[/link]

You can read about the genesis of the device HERE. The development really gets cooking around page 3...













Kilrah is the one who designed and built the system. He now sells the tracker individualy, or integrated into the googles

.

deli_conker

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll have to look into that website a little more.

twinturbostang

The cool thing about his head tracker is it plugs directly into the trainer port on your transmitter. The sensor is powered via the transmitter (so no additional batteries are necessary), and the pan/tilt signals are sent through the trainer port. The newer transmitters usually have the ability to "give" control over certain channels. So you activate the trainer function for the two channels you wish to use as pan/tilt. Then the trainer toggle switch is used to enable pan/tilt control of the camera. Jett, you mentioned that this is another component that could fail. Well, if it were to fail, just flip off the trainer function and you're back to straight and level video.

deli_conker

After checking out that site, I may look into one of the fixed view rigs they have. Seems like it would be less distracting then looking around. Kind of like talking on your cell phone while driving...

JettPilot

My Feedback: (6)

I had no idea that you could buy that. Since all the design / build work has already been done, it would be easy to do That is just way cool !!! From the looks of that unit, it should be very reliable as long as you get a good pan and tilt setup for the plane. I know they sell the pan and tilt units, but im not sure where.

Being able to buy a ready made unit changes everything and makes this very practical for us average modelers that are not electronics engineers

I might have get one of those...

JettPilot

whogdriver

Hey JettPilot,
Check out ServoCity for the already made pan/tilt units...
http://www.servocity.com/index.html
I can see those mental gears turning...
Whogdriver

rob10000

Awww, come on you guys. After all of this, building your own pan/tilt mechanism is child's play.
Here's my first attempt. Check out that crazy double ended servo!

Unfortunately, it had alot of 'backswing" and took up alot of cockpit real estate. Also, I was concerned with that much mass up high it would be apt to strip gears on a hard landing..

Here's rev 2..




I used an HS55 for pan, and a generic 4.4g servo for tilt.

twinturbostang

It's been in development for a while, but it just recently became available (last couple of months). It looks almost perfect, since it seemlessly plugs into your transmitter. The only problem is that there is a slow, long term drift/creep. This is due to the type of sensors it uses (gyros). Since the software integrates rotational motion to obtain directional information, any noise or error in the measurement is realized as long term drift. Only way around that is to use sensors that give directional information natively (eg: electronic compass, inclinometer, etc.). However, I'm told the drift is not real bad. There is a reset button that allows you to "zero" the system. So anytime drift is observed, point your head straight and level, hit the reset button, and you're back in business.

jamsam

My Feedback: (5)

Just stumbled across that video of the Easy Star controlled w/ goggles. Gotta admit it's pretty cool, but be warned, I believe it's a violation of the AMA safety code. Check the RC section, point #10. It basically states we need to be in direct visual contact without enhancement.

wavess

Like me he is not from USA, and don´t have to be careful with ama. I think that USA is the only country that have problems to deal with FPV flying.

typicalaimster

Well the AMA is not a regulatory board on RC Flight in the US. It's just FPV flying is not covered under their insurance. Anyone can head up to their local park and fly via FPV.

kd7ost

AMA only sets rules for their members at AMA sanctioned flying fields and events. They don't allow flying via fpv for their internal insurance purposes, but it's not against any law to fly that way. You just can't do it with the AMA blessings at the local AMA field.

Dan

JettPilot

My Feedback: (6)

Eggactly,

The AMA has NO rule of law, thank God. They are run by a bunch of overly paranoid group of old men that would rather tell others what to do than fly [:'(].

We all know the type, the old guys that sit at the field all day, that have no skills, and just sit there and try to tell others what to do instead of flying themselves. They complain about airplanes being to loud and everything else they can think of, they get off on feeling "important" by telling others what to do. I have no use for these geezers and think they should be put in thier place[sm=punching.gif].

The AMA and the old geezers that promote this type of thing can all jump off a bridge for all I care.

JettPilot

kd7ost

If only life were that simple.

Bull says I. This is an opinion and is based on no facts. Those guys can build and fly circles around most people on this forum. They have been leaders in RC modelling since before most of us were born. They know what they're doing.

Simple fact is there has to be a stop off point where rules kick in within an organizations bounds. The decissions made are based on the insurance underwriters and the majority of the club members. Why double the insurance rates and AMA fees to thousands of members just so a handfull of guys can fly FPV? It makes no sense at all for now.

Dave Brown, current AMA president even helped Maynard Hill fly across the Atlantic. He's not afraid of the technology. But it wasn't AMA sanctioned and didn't even happen in US boundaries.

I keep my AMA flying away from my AP flying. It's just that simple. AMA covers some stuff but not everything. It's not fair at all to beat them up over that.

Dan

bcpoulsen

Whether or not you agree with the AMA, the fact that this type of flying against the AMA Safety Code could impact the development and marketing of this technology in the US. I look forward to an affordable plug and play head tracker for RC and see a huge market for it in the US. I hope that a perceived liability problem doesn't hinder companies from pursuing the possibilities.

rob10000

I do my FPV flying with another pilot sitting next to me, ready to take the controls if the need arises, exactly like a training session with a newbie pilot. I feel this meets the intent of rule #10.

FlyerBry

My Feedback: (8)

Well I guess the "old guys" in my neck of the woods must be different than where you fly. I was just nominated by the "old guys" to be our next club president - and I'm only 34! My wife likes to kid me about going to the field and hanging out with the "old guys" and she freely admits I could be doing many worse things when I go out in the evening.

By the way, I have dealt with the folks over in Muncie a couple of times the past couple of years after losing our field and having to find a new flying site. I don't recall one conversation with anyone at the AMA that I had in that time that was with someone I consider old.

So what if the AMA isn't exactly what you want it to be. Like it or not, the AMA basically exists because of the laws in the United States. If our society wasn't so "sue happy" the need for liability insurance wouldn't be so necessary. No one is forcing you to join the AMA. As a matter of fact, if you own a large parcel of property there isn't much reason to join if you are going to be the only one flying over your own property and you are reasonably sure your neighbors aren't close enough to be at risk. The fact is the sole reason for joining the AMA is to protect yourself. Even if you only fly park flyers and you choose not to join you are still liable for damages that occured due to an accident involving your plane. The AMA is there to help not to hinder.

As far as technology not being adopted due to the AMA not endorsing it... Hogwash! If anything liability issues will stop more products from being developed than the lack of an endorsement from the AMA. This is the same reason the AMA doesn't endorse FPV. Not to mention the work the AMA does to protect our use of public radio frequencies. You actually benefit from the AMA whether you choose to join or not.

JettPilot

My Feedback: (6)

DO NOT misquote me, I NEVER said anything about "technology not being adopted due to AMA not endorsing it". Where did you get that from ? AMA is not important enough to keep technology from being developed.

As far as our sue happy society, it may be the law, but its wrong and bad for the country, and bad for all of us. This is the form of corruption here in the US, doing the wrong thing so lawyers and others can grow rich at the expense of the people. A different way, but its corruption just like in the third world, and its getting worse as time passes. The fact that you defend it tells me a lot about your intelligence. The fact that you dont even realize how most of the paranoid old guys act at the fields just confirms it.

JettPilot