That could be an interesting sociological study, in fact. What’s our deal with racing? We’re naturally competitive, and we like going fast or watching things go fast? Regardless of what’s behind it, you can be sure that when a new technology that moves and is controlled by humans comes out, it won’t be long before we start having races with it. When drones were first introduced, they were used for military and/or surveillance purposes; it’s only recently that they’ve gotten into the hands of civilians. Unsurprisingly, one of the first things we civilians did was to have drone races.
We’re pretty serious about our drone races, too. Leagues have been formed, and a lot of time and energy have been devoted to creating the fastest, coolest drones to leave all other drones in the dust. Like the Arrow Drone, for example. Developed by a team of German engineers who love Star Wars and gaming, the Arrow Drone is an FPV racing drone currently raising money through Kickstarter.
“We developed the first user friendly racing drones that put piloting into the first place – the Arrow Drones,” Josua Benner of Arrow Drone told 3DPrint.com. “FFF 3D printing, hightech materials and bionic structures helped us to optimize the performance of the Arrow Drone. We will be one of the first companies to use the benefits of 3d printing for series production.”
The drones were printed using a BigRep ONE FFF printer, and supporters of the campaign have several options for rewards. Experienced pilots who already have their own RC equipment can get a frame only, without goggles, RC controllers or chargers. A pledge of €455 ($496) gets you a 200 frame; €760 ($828) will get you a 270 frame. Complete sets are given to supporters who pledge at least €595 (for the 200) or €895 (for the 270). Contributions in excess of €2,000 will be rewarded with sets of four drones, so you can put a whole racing team together. Arrow Drone also offers a free flight training school so users can acclimate to piloting their small craft.
Arrow Drone is trying to raise €10,000 ($10,893) by March 5. According to the creators, drone racing is about to become the next wildly popular extreme sports phenomenon:
“There will be some amazing drone racing events next year,” the team promises. “We would like to meet you there and see teams competing with the Arrow Drone on a high level.”
Are you interested in drone racing? Discuss in the 3D Printed Arrow Drone Racers forum over at 3DPB.com.
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