Wipeout
July 14, 2016 10:38 AM Subscribe
Assumed when you said "Wipeout" you meant the obvious kind... didn't expect to see Wipeout XL in real life!
posted by rouftop at 11:14 AM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by rouftop at 11:14 AM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Game of drones.
posted by Termite at 12:53 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Termite at 12:53 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
One annoying thing about drone racing (and drones in general) is that the actual video you see while flying looks nothing like the Epic drone race at night video--That video is a fiction created in post-production. Even with 4 receivers, perfectly clear line of sight (no trees or walls), and short distances, you have the very analog view exemplified by the Delta Hawks video Kyol posted above. Drone racers usually prefer to post the excellent digital HD video recorded and saved onboard, but it's good to know what the reality of FPV racing is.
Another annoying thing can be the sexism, e.g. Team Blacksheep (the people behind the Mega Drone X video Kyol posted) posting a sexist joke, their plain dumb digging in when called on it, and their eventual non-apology.
This is a short documentary episode on Zoe Stumbaugh, the only woman who flew in the first U.S. national drone racing championships (and one of the top pilots in the U.S.).
posted by jjwiseman at 4:13 PM on July 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Another annoying thing can be the sexism, e.g. Team Blacksheep (the people behind the Mega Drone X video Kyol posted) posting a sexist joke, their plain dumb digging in when called on it, and their eventual non-apology.
This is a short documentary episode on Zoe Stumbaugh, the only woman who flew in the first U.S. national drone racing championships (and one of the top pilots in the U.S.).
posted by jjwiseman at 4:13 PM on July 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
That Delta Hawks video gave me real Wipeout vibes, much more so than the cheesy night race video with the gaudy CGI overlays.
I wonder how expensive the sport is. Probably way too expensive for me, but a guy can dream, right?
posted by chrominance at 5:57 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wonder how expensive the sport is. Probably way too expensive for me, but a guy can dream, right?
posted by chrominance at 5:57 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
So roughly:
$350-ish for the flying gear.
$100-ish in batteries and charging gear
$250-ish for a RC transmitter (the radio) and receiver.
$20-60 in video antennas
Anywhere from $70-550 in display method (goggles vs a LCD screen in a box, more or less)
Props, wire, heat shrink, 3d printer, action cam, etc etc etc
There are lower cost ways of getting in to it, I think the minimum viable is around $500, but certainly under $1000. Links are quick and semi random to spread the love around to more than just one vendor. And doesn't include a certain amount of electronics hobbyist fundamentals - soldering iron, solder, bandaids, etc.
posted by Kyol at 10:18 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
$350-ish for the flying gear.
$100-ish in batteries and charging gear
$250-ish for a RC transmitter (the radio) and receiver.
$20-60 in video antennas
Anywhere from $70-550 in display method (goggles vs a LCD screen in a box, more or less)
Props, wire, heat shrink, 3d printer, action cam, etc etc etc
There are lower cost ways of getting in to it, I think the minimum viable is around $500, but certainly under $1000. Links are quick and semi random to spread the love around to more than just one vendor. And doesn't include a certain amount of electronics hobbyist fundamentals - soldering iron, solder, bandaids, etc.
posted by Kyol at 10:18 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Are these quad-copter only? It feels like an RC plane would be faster around the course in the delta Hawks video. There's nothing (on that course) that requires the advantages of a quad-copter and mainly plays to its weaknesses.
posted by TheJoven at 10:45 PM on July 14, 2016
posted by TheJoven at 10:45 PM on July 14, 2016
At the moment, yeah. There's some attempt at making racing wings a thing, but I don't know how far along it is. Yanking and banking around flags isn't a problem, but I suspect clearing 6' wide (ish? I've never measured the width of my gates, only that I have to duck to walk through them) gates with a 28" wing is going to be more difficult.
I think the big thing is that quads are supremely bounceable in a way that I don't think even EPO wings are. If someone smacks you mid race (or you hit a flag, or fail to judge how much thrust you need, etc), you might recover and keep flying, but even if you don't the worst typical outcome of the crash is usually going to be 4 props and a couple of minutes. No biggie, hope the next heat goes better.
posted by Kyol at 5:57 AM on July 15, 2016
I think the big thing is that quads are supremely bounceable in a way that I don't think even EPO wings are. If someone smacks you mid race (or you hit a flag, or fail to judge how much thrust you need, etc), you might recover and keep flying, but even if you don't the worst typical outcome of the crash is usually going to be 4 props and a couple of minutes. No biggie, hope the next heat goes better.
posted by Kyol at 5:57 AM on July 15, 2016
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Delta Hawks (July 2016) - current speeds and video quality, and he's running 4 receivers with a switch selecting the best signal. And he still has the occasional breakup.
Mega Drone X - a little slower, but the cave was making for really bad video quality, so I think people were being more cautious than they would otherwise have been.
Mattystuntz - still pretty mindblowing 5 months later, given the limitations of a quadcopter's lift.
posted by Kyol at 11:12 AM on July 14, 2016 [2 favorites]