It used to be the case that the focus around this time of the year was only ever on one type of flying machine, usually piloted by a rather rotund chap in a red suit who by all accounts manages to remain jolly despite working the night shift and dealing with strict deadlines and the mother of all rush hours.
But those days appear to be fading fast and it looks like Santa’s going to have to get used to a little more air traffic in the future. Increasing numbers of early adopters unwrapped parcels under the tree yesterday morning to discover new consumer drones before taking them out for a quick festive spin – often with not entirely unexpectedly disastrous results.
I’ll be posting a larger article on drones, their near-term potential and an analysis of some of the legislative hurdles and opportunities in the not-too-distant future. But until then, despite the fact that I’ve written about them before a number of times, I thought it was time to share another great drone video. Filmed in Edinburgh back in 2013, it’s a great example of what’s possible – already.
D’Andrea suggests that by developing this athletic playfulness in quadcopters, the result – in exactly the same way as the process of play serves to develop capabilities in young children – will be that the existing capabilities of machines more generally could be extended.
Enjoy.