Can i create a custom flight path and dont have to controll the drone manually at all?

[wloksta]

I'm trying to implement drones in my business, and the thing i want them to do is, they have to film 360 degrees, then they have to go down for a few meters and film 360 degrees again, and so on for a few times, and after, fly straight up back to the top. And they have to do that in a small and closed area (its a cylinder, 5m diameter and about 20m high), so im guessing the connection between the app controlling it and the drone itself will not work properly. So, can i create a custom flight path that do that? You guys recommend any drone specifically? And the app to control and program the flight path, you guys recommend anything aswell? Im sorry if my english isnt good, its not my native language.

 

[ryantrax]

First off, welcome to PhantomPilots. In answer to your questions you may not want this process automated as you may lose GPS signal while descending, which would switch the drone into Attitude mode where the pilot controls the position instead of being held by GPS. For filming in a small confined space I would recommend one of DJI's smaller drones like the Mavic, If you ware wanting to mount a 360 camera to the bottom I would suggest a slightly larger drone like the Phantom 4 series.

 

[Fly Dawg]

You can do automated custom flight path's with Litch, however, that is really not possible in the scenario you describe. The flight path would be too small horizontally, to make even the best GPS accuracy work. This is something that you would have to do manually, and very tricky at that.

 

[ftttu]

Litchi for DJI Mavic / Phantom / Inspire / Spark I'm a Litchi pilot, and I'm pretty sure you can do what you want with it. I've never used the pano function, but it may do what you want other than just taking 360 video.

At that above link, scroll down where you will see more of its capabilities.

 

[wloksta]

You can do automated custom flight path's with Litch, however, that is really not possible in the scenario you describe. The flight path would be too small horizontally, to make even the best GPS accuracy work. This is something that you would have to do manually, and very tricky at that.

So even manually it would be hard? But possible right?

 

[Fly Dawg]

So even manually it would be hard? But possible right?

Possible yes, manually, but extremely risky in that sort of environment. Since you are referring to a circular ( I assume) area of around
5m in diameter ( That's 15ft). It would be the equivalent of flying inside a small household car garage, basically. The barometer may hold altitude semi-accurately, ( It will drift in any direction without GPS) but attempting to steer the aircraft in such a small area will prove very difficult.

 

[Meta4]

And they have to do that in a small and closed area (its a cylinder, 5m diameter and about 20m high), so im guessing the connection between the app controlling it and the drone itself will not work properly.

Flying inside a closed cylinder is going to create a lot of difficulty, especially in a small space.
If the cylinder is metal, that would block GPS signal and no automated flight would be possible.

 

[alokbhargava]

It looks possible to achieve with Litchi as I believe you would be taking a circle of about 30m leaving about 15' between drone and the object

 

[Helihover]

Totally doable and you might even get a gps lock as long as the top was open.

Look at the Phantom 4 Pro which is the smallest with the best obstacle avoidance system.

 

[68charger440]

It looks possible to achieve with Litchi as I believe you would be taking a circle of about 30m leaving about 15' between drone and the object

I believe he would only have roughly 7' between the drone and the object wall.
Thinking out of the box or cylinder as the case may be... How about suspending a GoPro from a set of 4 25 meter fishing lines attached to two 6 ' long thin dowels which would then be attached to the drone landing gear horizontally in an X. That will help the stability of the suspended GoPro. Then you never have to fly the drone inside the object. You just lower the GoPro down to the bottom and rotate the drone 360 degrees and then raise the drone the desired amount and rinse and repeat until done. No interference since the drone never goes inside the object.

 

[Meta4]

Totally doable and you might even get a gps lock as long as the top was open.

Getting a good GPS signal depends on having a good view of a large part of the sky.
Inside a a cylinder, 5m diameter and about 20m high, he will only get GPS signal if the cylinder is made of something that's transparent to the GPS signal.
If it's a metallic cylinder, having the top open won't make any difference unless the drone is at the top.

 

[Fly Dawg]

Totally doable and you might even get a gps lock as long as the top was open.

Totally doable, is a BIG STRETCH. That is to say if you are flying manually, No GPS, no "artificial" enhancements to assist in such a flight. You would be very lucky. Not saying it is impossible, but very risky and improbable in the scenario example, according to the manner it was worded. Very doubtful you would get GPS lock, the sat's are not "Straight Above" in an enclosed space. That is why you have to have multiple sat's for accurate lock and positioning. There are angles involved for GPS lock.

 

[Blessed77]

Sounds like a job for the Elios

 

[dan53]

Indeed, check out the Elios here: Elios - Inspect & Explore Indoor and Confined Spaces — Flyability I have no direct experience, but the website is impressive.

Dan Collins

 

[RunningWithScissors]

I would agree, Elios may be your best option for minimizing risk in the type of space you're describing. I believe, that type of environment (a tank) is well suited for the Elios.

 

[dan53]

I've got a project that may well be something for the Elios. It's an 80,000 square foot (underground) limestone mine. The dimensions of the tunnels are approximately 15 - 20 feet h x w. Longest drifts are 800 feet long. The overall design is a loose grid. Obviously, no GPS connection. I've shot a lot of it with ground based LIDAR, but the prospect of automating a drone flight for 3D photogrammetry reconstruction is intriguing. Anyone with experience out there?

 

[Lroar]

Totally doable and you might even get a gps lock as long as the top was open.

Look at the Phantom 4 Pro which is the smallest with the best obstacle avoidance system.

Even though the phantom 4pro has the obstacle avoidance all around, the place must be properly illuminated or it won't work. I believe as you go lower in the cylinder, you'll receive less light.

 

[DOC 1500]

sounds like you're filming inside of a tall stack

 

[ADobrovolskiy]

Flyability Elios (Elios - Inspect & Explore Indoor and Confined Spaces — Flyability) is as good drone for such tasks but only in manual mode. And you need to be really experienced pilot - I tried it on Milipol expo in Paris past year. With my experiance of piloting electric helis and tens types of multirotors it was not trivial task to go through "maze" first time.

If you want to automate your work you can forgot about any commercially available drones. It will be custom system with laser altimeter and 3-4 ultrasonic sensors to keep drone position in the center of cylinder. Plus custom onboard firmware and ground station software. Price of such system will be around $100 000 depending on exact requirements.

 

[DroneMiller67]

I'm trying to implement drones in my business, and the thing i want them to do is, they have to film 360 degrees, then they have to go down for a few meters and film 360 degrees again, and so on for a few times, and after, fly straight up back to the top. And they have to do that in a small and closed area (its a cylinder, 5m diameter and about 20m high), so im guessing the connection between the app controlling it and the drone itself will not work properly. So, can i create a custom flight path that do that? You guys recommend any drone specifically? And the app to control and program the flight path, you guys recommend anything aswell? Im sorry if my english isnt good, its not my native language.

Let us know if you come up with a solution that works and what your learnings were!!