3D printing launches a new drone. Helico, a UAV start-up, has just released what may be the first automated drone for tracking and recording outdoor activities. They’re calling it AirDog. Its body is made mostly from 3D printed parts, courtesy of Stratasys machines.
The quadcopter drone is wirelessly connected to a wristband tracking device, called the AirLeash. AirDog follows the signal from the AirLeash, recording video and taking photos using a mounted GoPro.
To create AirDog, Helico relied almost entirely on 3D printing. According to CEO Egars Rozentals, turn around time, the ability to make quick design changes and cost effectiveness were all greatly enhanced by 3D printing the drone parts.
To produce parts that could fully function in the real world, the Stratasys FDM was used to 3D print AirDog, while the PolyJet process was employed to fabricate AirLeash. Rozentals was impressed with the material’s functional stability, which allowed the team to print very thin walls that further reduced AirDog’s overall weight.
The AirLeash controller was printed in a single job, combining rigid and rubber-like materials to produce the wristband and its soft buttons.
Andy Middleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Stratasys, pointed out that AirDog exemplifies how 3D printing lets inventors turn their ideas into fully-operational parts quickly and effectively.
Helico is now gearing up for a promotional roadshow and plans to let AirDog out of his cage and onto the market later this year, towards the end of October.
