"Australia's fledgling UAV industry may be about to get a big wake-up call from China.
It's dawn as 24-year-old Justin Gong and his team stride down to the launch point at Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
Before them lies the stunning vista of Sydney Harbour: city skyline, Harbour Bridge, Opera House, all bathed in a golden light.
Within two minutes, they've unpacked and launched their drones to record this perfect sunrise.
To passing joggers the team appears to be just a bunch of weekend model aircraft enthusiasts. Police and park rangers drive by, not bothering to stop. But looks are deceptive.
Justin is at the controls of his
third generation X650 V8 - a quadrocopter the size of a wheelie bin lid. The UAV steadies, then rockets upwards. Live video streams back to his control monitor. The sales pitch is impressive:
"This one can go up to two kilometres above the land and also two kilometres away from your home position and this is around $3,000 for the full unit... and it can go up to about 70 kilometres per hour," Justin said.
Drone accessories include night-vision capability, GPS navigation, auto-pilot and automatic return home.
Justin concedes there are limitations: current battery technology limits flight time to 20 minutes. And the small size of the aircraft can make it unstable in moderate winds."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-2...es-off/3840616
http://www.hobby-wing.com/x650-v8.html
