DIY Drones on PBS Tonight

My geeky hobby of making low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs--see my DIYDrones link at left) will be featured in our new PBS show, Wired Science, tonight (8:00pm in most markets, but check your local listings). 

The segment starts with an amateur UAV fly-in we ran at the Alameda Naval Air Station of a few months ago, and then goes to see the pros at NASA Ames. Along with a few shots of my Lego UAV and a cellphone plane, there are some great scenes from NASA, including one where, totally by chance, I walk into a huge hanger interviewing a NASA researcher while a freakin' robot Blackhawk helicopter lands right behind us!

I think I'm going to turn those seconds into an animated GIF and make it my web sig or something. It's that cool.

Check out the preview and web extras here. And tune in/DVR tonight!

Comments

[Tim Graham]

Hey Chris, do you know some way I can automatically stop posts about lego helicopters and stuff from getting into my long tail folder?

[Chris Anderson]

Tim,

My apologies. The way to give you what you want is for me to be more discplined in the division of my various interests. I try not to crosspost often, but since this one was about our Wired Science project, which I've written about here, I allowed myself a bit of slippage.

Chris

[Michael A. Banks]

Enjoyed the program--saw it twice! Not to take anything away from other UAVs, the helicopter illustrated here was my favorite. It lives up to the old nickname for choppers: "eggbeaters." Looking forward to future episodes.
--Mike

[tim]

Check out the 'world's smallest aircraft carrier' footage of how they recover this UAV... very cool. I met them while doing a DoD corporate fellowship program. Not the biggest UAV company out there, but great dedicated management with an awesome product. Not to mention some impressive board members (Pete Higgins and Jim Mitchell.)

Also my favorite toy indoor (and outdoor in little wind) heli is by eflight... wife gave it to me for Christmas and my dog has a love hate relationship with it ever since (loves to chase it, hates that she'll never catch it).

[kabin]

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

[gifts for her]

Cool story.Congrats! That is really an awesome achievement! Good job!I wasn't aware of the third conflict in the non-existent Irag.Thanks for sharing such a great post here...