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Fluidity FT Aviator

Beagle

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So it looks like this is really an advanced joystick used to control drones with the same movements an astronaut might use to control an external robotic arm on the ISS. But biggest caveat to me is that it can't fly a Mavic without having a connection to our standard Mavic controller. So in order to fly with it, you need all three items: The joystick, DJI Controller and your mobile/tablet device. Seems a bit awkward to me to have to have all 3.

Your thoughts?
 
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Hmmm... pretty interesting. I’ve spent so long getting used to the current stick controls though. I have a fear that it’d take me all kinds of hours to get up to that level of comfort again...
 
Not sure if they are an Approved Vendor here, but I keep seeing their ad on top of Airdata on the right margin.

In any case, it says:

This project will only be funded if it reaches its $50,000 goal by Wed, December 5 2018 10:38 AM EST.
 
id like to have a play with one. Not sure how practical it would be however. Crystal Sky mounts and various ipad configs dont look like an easy option
 
I could imagine this stick makes flying the drone very intuitive...

I admit I‘m tempted... but shipment to US only is a Show stopper - I contacted them and asked if they would reconsider their shipment policy.

Will report here...
 
I almost invested and then thought about how my Titan Antenna and Moverios would work with this thing. I can't imagine where to mount the controller so that the antennae would point in the right direction and then, how the track pad on the moverios would work with my "free hand". I couldn't imagine how it would work...so I held my 225.

There videos are designed to whet the appetite...they even showed moverios working with them...but then they fall way short in terms of details. If I'm going to invest, I need to see a bit more about how it's really going to work. Now that it's announced, I'm looking for some videos that really show it in use in various situations. I'd like to know how it integrates, what it looks like when the "Controller lanyard" is hooked up...and how the controls for settings work.
 
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It’s like the jump to conclusions game!
This is not a bad idea it’s horrible. Did they not go down to the local hobby store and ask some kid to try it?
 
I must admit, I was overcome with temptation. I was the 29th investor.

I was never good at video games because of the cognitive skills needed to master the controller. So, it seems that the joystick idea would be a little more intuitive. We’ll see.
 
I love gadgets, but every picture of this single handed controller still uses 2 hands! .. perhaps I need to invest more time looking into this item ...
 
Practice practice. You will see improvements just spend time flying. Simulators are awesome now also.
 
I'm new to the forum, but I meant to post yesterday as we launched on Kickstarter. Our FT Aviator substantially reduces pilot workload by putting the primary flight controls in one hand. We can teach ourselves to become reasonably proficient with a two-thumbed gaming controller - they've been around since the 1930s according to my research - but it requires a lot more iteration, because you will sometimes under- or overshoot your input, or make an accidental input in another degree of freedom (you get a bit of yaw as you move up, for example). Our controller gives tactile feedback not just when you're inputting a command, but you also have a sense when you're not, which can be every bit as important. The amazing thing about the FT Aviator is putting it in the hands of a first time drone pilot, and then watching them do a perfect Figure 8 or inward-facing, ascending spiral within 5 minutes of a brief introduction. There are many other cool features incorporated into our controller to provide situational awareness cues, improve safety and substantially improve upon the camera control features of a typical radio. I'm happy to answer other questions, but suggest you check out our campaign at: FT Aviator: A Revolutionary Single-Handed Drone Controller

As a carrot, the first 500 backers will get 50% off.
 
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Hmmm... pretty interesting. I’ve spent so long getting used to the current stick controls though. I have a fear that it’d take me all kinds of hours to get up to that level of comfort again...
We've had pilots with 100s of hours of quad flight time, including some professional inspection pilots, pick up the stick and tell us they can't wait for the FT Aviator to become available on the market. They told us that they could really focus on what they were out there to do, rather than how they were going to physically get to a location. Plus it's just plain fun...!
 
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Not sure if they are an Approved Vendor here, but I keep seeing their ad on top of Airdata on the right margin.

In any case, it says:

This project will only be funded if it reaches its $50,000 goal by Wed, December 5 2018 10:38 AM EST.
Hi Thunderdrones,

Yes, we're a newly approved vendor on the forum, and we look forward to contributing to this community. We're less than 24 hours into our campaign and we've already raised about a quarter of our goal, so we're feeling very good about closing a successful Kickstarter campaign. Check us out at:

FT Aviator: A Revolutionary Single-Handed Drone Controller
 
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id like to have a play with one. Not sure how practical it would be however. Crystal Sky mounts and various ipad configs dont look like an easy option
Great point, AnzacJack. We're launching with just a smartphone holder, but we've already prototyped an iPad-capable holder that we hope will be available as soon as February (when we start shipping).
 
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I could imagine this stick makes flying the drone very intuitive...

I admit I‘m tempted... but shipment to US only is a Show stopper - I contacted them and asked if they would reconsider their shipment policy.

Will report here...
Hi StanTGM,

I truly wish we had the ability to manage international shipments as we first launch. For the Fluidity team, supporting our customers is every bit as important as putting the FT Aviator in their hands. We will have our international support structure by Q2 2019, and hope you'll join us then.
 
I almost invested and then thought about how my Titan Antenna and Moverios would work with this thing. I can't imagine where to mount the controller so that the antennae would point in the right direction and then, how the track pad on the moverios would work with my "free hand". I couldn't imagine how it would work...so I held my 225.

There videos are designed to whet the appetite...they even showed moverios working with them...but then they fall way short in terms of details. If I'm going to invest, I need to see a bit more about how it's really going to work. Now that it's announced, I'm looking for some videos that really show it in use in various situations. I'd like to know how it integrates, what it looks like when the "Controller lanyard" is hooked up...and how the controls for settings work.

Hi gimphoto,

Thanks for your thoughtful note and observations. The FT Aviator will work with both iOS and Android, and, as such, compatibility with the Moverio (which runs on Android) is very much on our radar. As a fixed wing pilot to start, I wanted to create a means of remotely flying a drone that gave me a real sense of being onboard the craft, so pairing with a capability like Moverio is really appealing. With our FT Aviator you'll feel your command inputs to your Mavic, and coupled with the onboard video you'll be much more immersed in your flying.

We will be working tirelessly to create new and improved capabilities for this rapidly evolving DJI ecosystem which includes Moverio, DJI goggles and many other innovations yet to come.

We'll be continuing to add visuals to our website (www.fluidity.tech) and our Kickstarter page (FT Aviator: A Revolutionary Single-Handed Drone Controller) to show the Fluidity system in work. If you look back on our KS page you'll see photos of the harness in use, and I plan to post a blog on the detailed use of the FT Aviator's flight controls in a day or two.
 
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It’s like the jump to conclusions game!
This is not a bad idea it’s horrible. Did they not go down to the local hobby store and ask some kid to try it?

Hi Duke846,

The FT Aviator came from exhaustive customer research, looking at the needs of drone pilots doing a wide range of tasks. We understand that this is a drastic shift in the way that drones are operated, but our research in the hands of both expert and novice drone pilots leads us to believe that this is a real game changer. We hope you will consider being among the first to try it.
 
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I am a 10,000 hr real pilot. I grew up flying rc airplane’s/ helicopters. I will first say what the majority of the very detailed oriented people on this forum will probably pass on the fact you need one hand to hold your Joystick. It’s two handed, every picture or video people are holding it with their free hand.
My advice would be to post a informational video on what is does. Does the stick rotate for yaw? How do you add power? Does it have a hat stick to control the camera, Do you plug it into your mavic controller then use it? Can you pan camera left and right? Does it work like a PC flight sim joystick? Looks like you had a Saitek joystick in one of your videos. I agree it would work wonderfully if you didn’t have to hold it. Unfortunately the requirements of flying a drone requires you to be mobile and hold the control. Did the Space Shuttle have a remote control unit for the arm? I am pretty sure this is fixed. Best of luck!

CC074D23-AF52-4739-8516-6BB9518C2B65.jpeg
 
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Appreciate your feedback. A full flight control description and some additional video is forthcoming to our sites (Fluidity.tech and Kickstarter). Cliff Notes version is that we can pitch, yaw and roll the joystick (like the rotational hand controller shown from the aft flight deck of the Shuttle), and we have a dynamically-balanced "Z-mechanism" that allows for up/down or throttle inputs. In so doing, we've freed up the non-dominant hand to operate the camera systems much more efficiently, and keeping the pilot mobile. The base unit does include a 1/4-20 mount for pilots operating from a single location, but we anticipate that most operators will simply hold it comfortably in their hand.
 
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