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Looking for feedback on a new control app under development for Android

Drone Amplified

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We are developing an Android app for flying DJI drones, as an alternative to DJI Go. The app is called "Drone Amplified", and you can find the in-development beta version on the Google Play Store here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.droneamplified.da

Our goal is to create an app that allows you to use your drone with confidence outdoors. You shouldn't need to rely on having a WiFi connection where you fly in order to have maps. Programming and flying a mission should be simple and easy, and the app should meet a high standard of reliability, because bugs and crashes during a mission are unacceptable.

The app is currently in development, but we have completed several useful features:
• Compatibility with the Matrice 100/600, Inspire, Mavic, and Phantom models of DJI drones
• Easily download satellite imagery for offline use
• Create and fly along waypoint missions
• Take photos, shoot video, adjust focus and exposure, and move the gimbal
• Manual with complete documentation
• Automatically logs flights as csv files on your tablet or phone (importable by dronelogbook.com)
• Import Google Earth KMZ files, KML files, and ArcGIS Georeferenced PDF files into the app to overlay them on the map during flight.
• Compass calibration

Additionally, we plan to add the ability to download elevation maps for terrain awareness and terrain-following missions.

We would like to invite you to try out the beta version of our app and give us your feedback. What features do you need it to have for it to be useful to you? What parts of the app need improvement? What features have you really wanted your drone flying app to have, that it doesn't? This is a great opportunity to shape this app to become the perfect app for you.
 
Ill give it a try! Looks to be promising! For now I have uninstalled as it though.. One thing I noticed is the waypoint option seems to need much work.... maybe I missed something...
I will come back later when it has been polished more.
Thanks!
 
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I know absoutely zero about creating any of this stuff and realistically little about using it.
I find with some of the software I use in my business, Corel Draw, Adobe Photo shop etc I use about 10% of what the program can do it is all I need to accomplish my work.

My thoughts then on these mega powerful programs goes to this re: something to fly my Mavic.

Give me a basic program that lets me do the straight forward flying I mostly do that will not suck the bones out of my phone & Tablet so I get real time transmission.
I should be able to manually fly all the actions the drone allows , photos, videos, and typical flight manuvers.

Then it would be great to have an add on or two or three that allowed me to select the features I think I need or want.
Example a smart photo package that simplifies the camera settings.
It would be great if I could hit a button have the camera take action and feed back to me the suggested settings based on the actual target conditions. Something like a mini photographer hiding behind the camera lens that could runaround inside the Mavic and fix all my
camera settings for the intended target. Just like auto focus but for all the other elements of the photagraphy. I think this could also spill over into the video operations also.

A drone directional indicator that actually showed me where the drone is facing relative to my controller position. A simple indicator that showed where the drone is facing relative to the controller period. On my Mavic I have this and it is totally useless it simply makes no sense.If the indicator could not locate the controller then maybe have it indicate relative to true North.

A simple set of indicators like a normal private aircraft instrument clusters that could be displayed on the screen.
They would show the same data now reported in the numbers along the bottom of my go4 screen.
Altitude, compass direction, battery indicator, speed, time remaining to battery limits etc.

the ability to see a 2d kind of image that showed me the drone as a spot indicator relative to the terrain it was flying over. the terrain would report like the line on an EKG with the drone spotted over it.
ideally to give me a visual of the proximity of ground to my drone.

Altitude, think about the grid we can see when aligning a photo. how about a similar grid that stretched across the screen that indicated altitude with an indicator for the drone.
This way i could see graphically my altitude change relative to the grid. Ideally the drone indicator would be fixed and the grid would scroll up / down as altitude changed. Kind of like the gimbal angle is reported now on go4.

the ability to dumb down the control input in flight. example like i can switch to sport mode a similar option to hit a button and reduce the input of my stick movement relative to the drone response.
basically change the exponential on the stcks so the drone reaction could be dumbed down for finer control without generating a softer / smoother command at the stick movement.
This would be very much like dual rates on a typical R/C radio.

Well I gess that is enough of a wish list for now.
Ask for what you want..settle for what you need
mikmoose55
 
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Can you do a CSV export that includes all the parameters for Full Movion Video? Like airframe orientation, gimble orientation, camera FOV, etc?? Let me know if you can do this or want more information.
Thanks!
Wayne
 
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Ill give it a try! Looks to be promising! For now I have uninstalled as it though.. One thing I noticed is the waypoint option seems to need much work.... maybe I missed something...
I will come back later when it has been polished more.
Thanks!

Thanks for taking a look at the app! The waypoints are currently very basic, and just allow you to fly to different points on the map, but we don't intend for this to be the final system.

A big reason for why we're doing this is to figure out what kinds of waypoint missions people want to do, so we know what to implement. We don't want to implement a whole bunch of mission features that nobody asked for or wants to use, because that will just make the app too complex and cluttered.

Could you describe what kinds of features you're looking for, or what kinds of programmed missions you typically fly?


I know absoutely zero about creating any of this stuff and realistically little about using it.
I find with some of the software I use in my business, Corel Draw, Adobe Photo shop etc I use about 10% of what the program can do it is all I need to accomplish my work.

My thoughts then on these mega powerful programs goes to this re: something to fly my Mavic.

Give me a basic program that lets me do the straight forward flying I mostly do that will not suck the bones out of my phone & Tablet so I get real time transmission.
I should be able to manually fly all the actions the drone allows , photos, videos, and typical flight manuvers.

Then it would be great to have an add on or two or three that allowed me to select the features I think I need or want.
Example a smart photo package that simplifies the camera settings.
It would be great if I could hit a button have the camera take action and feed back to me the suggested settings based on the actual target conditions. Something like a mini photographer hiding behind the camera lens that could runaround inside the Mavic and fix all my
camera settings for the intended target. Just like auto focus but for all the other elements of the photagraphy. I think this could also spill over into the video operations also.

A drone directional indicator that actually showed me where the drone is facing relative to my controller position. A simple indicator that showed where the drone is facing relative to the controller period. On my Mavic I have this and it is totally useless it simply makes no sense.If the indicator could not locate the controller then maybe have it indicate relative to true North.

A simple set of indicators like a normal private aircraft instrument clusters that could be displayed on the screen.
They would show the same data now reported in the numbers along the bottom of my go4 screen.
Altitude, compass direction, battery indicator, speed, time remaining to battery limits etc.

the ability to see a 2d kind of image that showed me the drone as a spot indicator relative to the terrain it was flying over. the terrain would report like the line on an EKG with the drone spotted over it.
ideally to give me a visual of the proximity of ground to my drone.

Altitude, think about the grid we can see when aligning a photo. how about a similar grid that stretched across the screen that indicated altitude with an indicator for the drone.
This way i could see graphically my altitude change relative to the grid. Ideally the drone indicator would be fixed and the grid would scroll up / down as altitude changed. Kind of like the gimbal angle is reported now on go4.

the ability to dumb down the control input in flight. example like i can switch to sport mode a similar option to hit a button and reduce the input of my stick movement relative to the drone response.
basically change the exponential on the stcks so the drone reaction could be dumbed down for finer control without generating a softer / smoother command at the stick movement.
This would be very much like dual rates on a typical R/C radio.

Well I gess that is enough of a wish list for now.
Ask for what you want..settle for what you need
mikmoose55


Thanks for all the great feedback! I definitely agree that having an app that's cluttered with features I'm not interested in is frustrating. I also think we can simplify the operation of the camera. For example, you don't often need to see controls for ISO, aperture, shutter, and EV unless you're an expert photographer, and these can be automatically controlled.

Once we have elevation maps in the app we can do some useful things to show the altitude of the drone above the terrain, and even the shape of the terrain nearby.

I don't think that the app would be able to modify the stick sensitivity curves. For security purposes, the apps are very limited in terms of how they can affect the drone's flight.

Again, thanks for all the feedback. I will keep these things you've mentioned in mind.


Can you do a CSV export that includes all the parameters for Full Movion Video? Like airframe orientation, gimble orientation, camera FOV, etc?? Let me know if you can do this or want more information.
Thanks!
Wayne

This is doable. May I ask what software you want to import it into?
 
Check this out. There are more links at the bottom of this page: ArcGIS Full Motion Video

This is the software suite we would be interested in using it in. There are currently only a couple of all in one solutions for DJI and FMV, but none on the open market yet that I’m aware of. One is in beta (and has been for years), and one is not open to public at all.
Thanks for taking a look at it. If you want to discuss further let me know.
Thanks!
Wayne
 
D A thanks for paying attention.
Obviously you are ultimately creating a product that brings a revenue stream. Great, it is what makes the planet spin.
As time goes on products get refined usually by folks that have a vision and very little connection to the original. There is always a better mousetrap to be had if you can get the mice to challenge the trap dijour'.
My bottom line suggestion is to keep a focus on the KISS principle Keep It Simple Stupid.
I would be willing to bet there are many more folks out here who fly kind of like me, ignorant and disinterested in the multi leveled programming requiring more fiddleing around than flying. Additionally after ALL the planning and programming we often find we have it wrong and suffer the pain of starting all over again.
The reality is a product will never please everyone. In this case there is the opportunity to build a program that establishes itself somewhere between the simplicity of a J3 Piper Cub or a Boeing 777.
The ideal product placement in this case lies somewhere inbetween finding that sweet spot is the development task and the commercial challenge.

I am definately pulling for D A to get most of it right.
mikemoose55
 
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