MikroKopter

MikroKopter is a German company, a subsidiary of HiSystems GmbH, that manufactures battery-powered radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles. The company is located in Moormerland, Leer District, in Lower Saxony.

MikroKopter
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Headquarters
Moormerland, Leer, Lower Saxony
,
Germany
ProductsMiniature UAVs
Websitewww.mikrokopter.de/en/home
MikroKopter in flight
View of Sydney Harbour taken by MikroKopter

History

Started in 2006 by Holger Buss and Ingo Busker, MikroKopter used a team of pilots to develop within 6 months a platform with great stability, manoeuvrability and powerful enough to lift a payload of several kilograms. Further developments, which incorporated an onboard GPS, piezo gyroscope, an acceleration sensor and a barometric sensor for altitude control, made autonomous flight possible and improved manoeuvrability.[1]

Products

MikroKopter produce various multi-rotor models such as QuadroKopter (a quadcopter), HexaKopter and OktoKopter. The design lends itself to computer control and robotics researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a program to control swarms of what they term 'Nano Quadrotors'. CCTV cameras provide feedback on position to the controlling computer, permitting complex manoeuvres that include tumbling.[2]

Parent HiSystems GmbH has developed a built-in LEA-6S GPS receiver, u-blox’ highest-performance GPS module for MikroKopter aircraft that allows precision positioning for photography and other applications.[3]

Operational use

In February 2012 an animal rights group used a MikroKopter to film hunters shooting pigeons in South Carolina. The hunters shot the drone down.[4]

References
  1. "en/Mikrokopter-Get-started - Wiki". MikroKopter.de. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  2. Huffington Post - Nano Quadrotor Drones
  3. MikroKopter captures precision photos and videos Archived 2011-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Zimmerman, Dan (18 February 2013) Hunters Shoot SHARK Drone Over South Carolina The Truth about Guns, Retrieved 5 February 2013
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