Seeking Drone for Stage Performance

[Dagon]

Hi,

I have been asked to consult for a modern dance performance in which a UAV makes a brief appearance. I have seen the performance and the drone they are currently using is very unimpressive. It is a small black plastic brick with ducted propellers that has zero stage presence. I'm a P4Pro pilot but these are very non-technical people who can't be bothered with keeping apps and firmware updated. What they need is a very robust off-the-shelf product that is operated via controller, perferably without requiring a phone or tablet.

Any thoughts?

Also, something with an interesting silhouette would be a great improvement, and some LEDs (although I can add those for them).

It needs to have stable indoor hovering performance without GPS, at least for maintaining a constant altitude above the stage. They're not trying to do any kind of complex choreography with the UAV, it just needs to make an entrance from off-stage, make a slow circuit of the stag the stage and appear to be watching the dancers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Richard R]

Try the Syma XH8c. It's about the same size as a phantom, comes in different colors including orange! The H version has an altimeter for altitude control. Should be able to find one for less than $100

 

[gingerbloke]

I would say some sort of SFX or lighting effect would make much more sense. A drone is a considerable 'unknown' in this environment (stage electrics, wifi, phone interference) not just to dancers/performers but also any audience near the stage. You should (at least) have a net across the stage to separate the audience from the drone, even if all the dancers agreed to having it there.

 

[Dagon]

Good points, Gingerbloke. I was considering something like this Hero ducted fan foam airframe, which seems like it would be fairly safe. Also comes with flashy LED display. I just don't know how stable it would be for indoor flight.

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-945823...-2-4ghz-ready-to-fly-w-4gb-memory-card-15.jpg


The other issue is with the fact that it will be flying near people, even if just on the stage. I suppose the dancers could be considered crew. The way it is currently choreographed, the actors are on one side of the stage and the drone is on the other.

 

[BigAl07]

Good points, Gingerbloke. I was considering something like this Hero ducted fan foam airframe, which seems like it would be fairly safe. Also comes with flashy LED display. I just don't know how stable it would be for indoor flight.

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-945823...-2-4ghz-ready-to-fly-w-4gb-memory-card-15.jpg


The other issue is with the fact that it will be flying near people, even if just on the stage. I suppose the dancers could be considered crew. The way it is currently choreographed, the actors are on one side of the stage and the drone is on the other.

If you're flying INDOORS then the FAA has no say-so in what you're doing.

If you're NOT flying indoors they do have a say-so and calling the "dancers" crew is a big negative. The CREW are the individuals directly responsible for the SAFE operation of the aircraft... aka Flight Crew (pilot, VO, Safety Officer etc). Anything else would need a waiver or be handled under a Section 333 Exemption.

 

[Dagon]

If you're flying INDOORS then the FAA has no say-so in what you're doing.

If you're NOT flying indoors they do have a say-so and calling the "dancers" crew is a big negative. The CREW are the individuals directly responsible for the SAFE operation of the aircraft... aka Flight Crew (pilot, VO, Safety Officer etc). Anything else would need a waiver or be handled under a Section 333 Exemption.

It is entirely indoors, which is why I want to make sure I have something that has good vertical stability (e.g. ultrasonic ground sensors or a good inirtial positioning) so that it will be easy for them to maintain a steady position above the stage.

 

[Deleted member 109724]

It is entirely indoors, which is why I want to make sure I have something that has good vertical stability (e.g. ultrasonic ground sensors or a good inirtial positioning) so that it will be easy for them to maintain a steady position above the stage.

If you need all that might as well get a Phantom 3 Pro, and kill two birds with one drone! You get those positioning sensors you want, and you get a video. BTW, why do you want the drone just for looks, and not to take video? Most of the time a drone in a concert is actually used for something.

-Weston Ney

 

[Dagon]

If you need all that might as well get a Phantom 3 Pro, and kill two birds with one drone! You get those positioning sensors you want, and you get a video. BTW, why do you want the drone just for looks, and not to take video? Most of the time a drone in a concert is actually used for something.

-Weston Ney

The drone is part of the performance. The dancers react to the arrival of the drone as part of their choreography. It does not even need a camera. They just need something that maintains its altitude without a lot of joystick wrestling and looks more "drone-like" than the flying box that they are currently using. If they have the budget for a Phantom, that would be the best option, but I doubt they do.

 

[Dagon]

Try the Syma XH8c. It's about the same size as a phantom, comes in different colors including orange! The H version has an altimeter for altitude control. Should be able to find one for less than $100

Thanks, Richard. This might be a good option.

 

[microlinux]

If you need to fly with precision indoors, that dictates something with downward positioning sensors. I'm not sure you want to be flying anything near moving people with something that doesn't have this capability if relative positioning is important. Altitude hold does nothing for horizontal positioning. A Tello would probably be great for this, but I imagine it might be too small to make much of an impact.