UAS Entrepreneurs

The UAV market is expected to be worth over 12 Billion US Dollars by the year 2020, but who are the people making it happen?

This week i will be writing about, some of the market leaders in UAV R&D. Tonight, i wanted to talk about someone who isn’t DJI, which is all i seem to read about.

Take Jordi Munoz, 28, for instance. A young Mexican Drone entrepreneur, co owner of 3D Robotics, a rapidly growing commercial UAV manufacturer in America.

In 2007 Jordi began building his own UAS in his garage. Fast forward to 2015, and the company is expected to post sales figures in excess of $50 Million!!!!!!

3D Robotics now makes five different types of drones, with prices ranging from $740 to $5,400. Mr Munoz says that sales first reached the $1m mark in 2011, before hitting $10m in 2013, and being on target for $40m this year.

Source BBC News

Jordi and his partner, a Mr Anderson (can’t help but read it in a Agent Smith voice) decided to go into business together, without actually meeting and now their company is THE largest commercial UAS manufacturer in the States!

Mr Anderson, is in fact Chris Anderson, ex editor of Wired Magazine. If you go on their site, which is a pleasure to navigate, unlike many RC sites, you can see their range of UAS. And their prices are very very competitive. Next stop youtube to see their Copters in action…i’m in the market for a new UAS and the DJI Inspire 1 is at the top of my list, maybe 3DR can change my mind.

http://3drobotics.com/

These guys could one day give DJI a run for their money!

You can read the full story on the BBC News site, the source of my info

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31356080

Thumbs Up

UAS Footage – Ukraine & Russia

BBC News have some new UAS Aerial footage from Ukraine, shot during the recent ceasefire.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31523830

Its very very shaky, could be the wind, a camera mount without a gimbal, or maybe its one of the new style, small, 3D Printed Drones, I commented on the other day. The picture quality is good, so i suspect the weather is the cause.

The second link, it to a video i found on Youtube earlier today. It’s old, December 2014, so you may have already seen it, but it shows soldiers, the video indicates they are Russian (also the flag on the car helps!) with what is obviously a DJI Phantom – man, those things are every where!

I have absolutely no idea what the guy is saying, but i wish they didn’t have their masks on. I bet they were grinning ear to ear, the first time they flew the Phantom, arguing about who gets to fly it next – who doesnt?!

It is quiet astounding to me, how wide spread and versatile, the use of UAS has become. And more often than not, its a Phantom, i wonder how many have been manufactured/sold thus far?

I shall find out. Till then.

TU