[Hackupy-discuss] Aerial camera platform

[Tomm]

Hi Ian,

I like it!  I designed pipe crawling robots long ago, and a challenge 
with them is that if the weight isn't distributed quite right, they tend 
to wander and this makes them hard to steer.  Putting most weight 
towards the bottom of the crawler will help keep it aligned.  We used 
differential (tank-like) driving.

Magnetic wheels are great, but be careful when putting the robot on the 
pipe.  The really strong magnetic wheels are brittle, and I saw a number 
of shattered wheels over the years.  Spares highly recommended.  Also, 
magnetic wheels will leave marks on painted surfaces - just something to 
keep in mind, as coating the wheels would reduce the adhesion 
significantly.

Here's an magnetic pipe crawler that shows a good aspect ratio for a 
pipe crawler:
http://images.yourdictionary.com/images/computer/_MAGPIE.GIF

Since the robot will be on a light pole near a huge honkin' light, it 
might be a good idea to put a solar panel on the top of the unit.  Not 
only is it light shielding for the camera, but there's enough lux that 
you might get the rated panel output, and a 4" x 6" panel can deliver 
100 mA.  That should be enough to drive a phone for several hours a day, 
and perhaps even most of the time.  Seems like a good idea for long-term 
occupations as you'd only have to install the robot once.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_228072_-1

Happy to meet in person,

     Tomm
(also just subscribed)

On 11/19/11 12:06 PM, Ian Baker wrote:
> Hey! Just subscribed. I've been thinking about this aerial camera
> platform thing for a while... Helicopters, balloons, airplanes, etc.
> Each machine has it's issues, along the lines of stability, cost, ease
> of compromise, runtime, lack of anonymity for the person controlling
> it, etc.
>
> What I want is a solution that's cheap, easily replicable, requires
> little operator skill, holds the camera still, works in wind, runs for
> a long time, is easy to aim, is easy to move to another location,
> shields the camera operator from identification by police, and makes
> the camera itself hard to capture. If it meets these goals, it could
> be broadly scalable... Everybody could have one.
>
> Last night I think I figured it out: a simple robot that can climb
> tapered metal poles, and carries a gimbaled camera platform. Clamp it
> to a lightpost, drive it to the top, recover when
> necessary/convenient.
>
> Not quite as hard to catch as a helicopter, but also more stealth.
> Doesn't get quite as much altitude, but I don't think we need much.
> Doesn't have any of the issues that balloons do. Runs all day, and I
> bet it could be built for less money than the smartphone we strap to
> it, from flat-pack laser-cut parts and bits of r/c car, in an
> afternoon.
>
> My housemate and I are working on designs. Ideas, cad models, etc welcome! :)
>
> -Ian
>
> The touch keyboard: ensouling wit since 2007.
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