Thanks for the awesome questions @emilanderson. Our intent is to provide a rock-solid first gen model, even if it happens to lack a few additional features that may be of interest. While we intend to provide everything you'll need for an amazing out of the box experience, we don't intend to get "off in the weeds" when it comes to adding a plethora of bonus features that may cause issues. Any specific questions I can answer regarding the buoy and tether?
@emilanderson, I apologize, I didn't see your entire post! During our prototyping process, we've definitely felt the wrath of marine environments - if even a single thing is done wrong, it becomes apparent VERY quickly! The buoy will be made highly visible so that boaters know exactly where it is. Regarding the robotics question, we can't wait to get this product in the hands of kids (and adults) that can customize it and tweak it to their liking. Our modular design will allow everyone to design their own thrusters, attachments, stabilizer fins, etc. All appropriate schematics will be open to our community once we finalize our designs to make that possible!
Regarding the color of the buoy, will it also be white? It should really be something colorful to warn boats. Why not also add a hole for a pole where you can have a divers flag? This could be helpful when monitoring divers in work?!
@ocram, the buoy right now is white! Once we've completed its designs, it'll be interesting to see how much it stands out bobbing on the surface. As a diver, I really like the idea of adding a spot for a diver-down flag!
This would be a great module to have. I would prefer that it was equiped with some kind of spring/lock feature. Why not talk to these guys: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/465382488/mantis-drone-claw
@ocram, nice find! I've been playing around with different manipulator designs, so I'll post those once I've fleshed it out a little more!
Why not create a colorful neoprene cover for the buoy. Would that increase the buoyancy too much?
@ocram, great idea! When it comes to the buoy, more buoyancy is better!
Have you considered any kind of bumpers to the front to protect the camera cover? I think about a bar or similar that you can use as something to lean on if you want to take closeups. What is the close up range for the camera btw?
@ocram, there's a plate on the front of the drone that protects the lens! We haven't settled on a camera module/sensor just yet (October is our camera testing month), but expect those specs soon. We'll be running tests all month!
Regarding manipulators: Have you considered something that you only deliver to the object ant attach it to it and that can after that been pulled up manually with a rope? Would that affect the design and simplicity of the manipulator? I'm trying to find a solution as an example for how to retrieve 100s of bottles from the bottom of a harbour in our outer archipelago. My idea is to have a probe that carries a noose that can be pulled around the bottles neck. An other alternative is some kind of expanding stick that can be inserted in the bottle and when you pull the line its attached to, it will have claws that expand inside.
@ocram, I think a "detachable attachment" would be an extremely effective way to accomplish item retrieval (we can only expect our little drone to do so much when it comes to heavy lifting). I'll do some thinking as to how we could accomplish the procedure (target acquisition, locking onto the target with a manipulator of sorts, releasing the underside attachment, and pulling up the target). If you think of anything before I can, feel free to start a new topic under the "Attachments" thread - I think this topic merits its own conversation!
What about this mechanism? http://www.banggood.com/Outdoor-Climbing-Claw-Hook-Folding-Grappling-Buckle-Mountaineering-Survival-Carabiner-p-1100723.html?rmmds=search
@ocram, nice find! With something like this, all we'd need to do is "bump" the target to latch on, and then detach the separate line from the drone to retrieve the target. I'm still thinking about how we could detach the hook from the drone though.... Unless we don't... Perhaps the whole system could then be brought back up via the separate line attached to the hook. Because no stress would be on the drone's rail system, it might be a feasible solution if detaching the hook proves to be too difficult or "clunky". Thoughts?