Engineer Builds Drone From Scratch, Destroys It on First Day | Expedition Raw

2m read

·Nov 11, 2024

This was my first major expedition, so this is the dream, right? It's a bit hairy to actually get on. My main job is to get aerial shots for conservation research. This expedition happened in 2012, and even though it doesn't seem like that long ago, drone technology was a lot different than it is today. You couldn't just buy these really nice, flyable, off-the-shelf drones. I built this thing from scratch, and at one point, I was even pretty much just sleeping in the office to make sure that I could get this thing done.

"Uh, is there anything special that you want, Mike?" It's very, very windy. The seabirds, you can see, they're kind of just like hovering there in this immense amount of wind. So I decided, all right, I'm going to kind of do this cool banking turn. Maybe there'll be some seabirds in the frame— all artistic and everything. But the drone is turning as I'm making this maneuver, so it's turning, but then the wind catches it.

"Okay, I'm really trying not to let anybody know, but I'm really freaking out inside. What is happening with this drone?" I cut the engines and let it fall to the ground. "It'll be fine, it'll be fine," I'm telling myself. So I go to the tree line, and on the other side is this big rocky beach.

"Lasted how long? 30 seconds?" Pretty much the drone fell into the ocean and then got smashed to bits on the rocks. It's gone. Lesson learned. Like my boss says, just don't crash it.

"It's really windy, windy. Hi, I'm with Alex Honnold, and we are attempting to climb 45 of the most iconic towers in the desert."

STOP PLAYING SMALL| Jordan Peterson Motivational Speech

Establishing DNA as transformation principle

View All

National Geographic goes to space with Disney and Pixar's Lightyear

(Heroic music) I’m Nadia Drake with National Geographic. Today, we’re at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with Chris Evans, who plays Buzz Lightyear in the new Disney and Pixar movie Lightyear. Hanging out with the intrepid freshly returned from orbit, as…

Creativity break: how do you apply creativity to biology? | High school biology | Khan Academy

[Music] [Music] One question that people ask me is, how do I apply creativity to the presentations that I give? My secret sauce is to come up with a visual image that anybody—I don’t care if you’re an adult, whether you’re a fifth grader or second grader…

How To Get Rich In The 2023 Bull Market

What’s up, Graham? It’s guys here, and according to a recent survey, you need 2.2 million dollars to be considered wealthy. Although even though that might sound unobtainable, the truth is 2.2 million dollars is a lot closer than what you probably think. …

A Look at the Whimsical Life of a Traveling Showman | Short Film Showcase

[Music] [Music] Roll up, roll up, roll up! So, a lifetime is about to begin. I’ve been an entertainer for getting on for 45 years. It’s a whole lifetime. I’m beginning to feel that at least now I know something about the business. Occasionally, I take tim…

2015 AP Calculus BC 6c | AP Calculus BC solved exams | AP Calculus BC | Khan Academy

Write the first four nonzero terms of the McLaurin series for e to the x. Use the McLaurin series for e to the x to write the third degree Taylor polynomial for G of x, which is equal to e to the x * F of x about x equal to 0. So McLaurin series, if tha…

Restoring the River's Flow | DamNation

Dropped my gear off, schlepped it all out over the fence, drove back down, parked the van, got on my bicycle, rode up there, stashed it. Gl’s canyons near vertical; it’s very steep, it’s dark, it’s a damp slippery dam with a 200t abyss right below. So we’…

Engineer Builds Drone From Scratch, Destroys It on First Day | Expedition Raw

More Articles