Anyone? Products like the Phantom 4 seem like they will add a lot more use case scenarios for multi rotors but I cannot see myself investing in a multi rotor I cannot customize or upgraded, is likely unrepairable and uses proprietary batteries.

Be patient, OA is still at infant stages for Mr's. Be patient it is on its way. personal opinion is that over the years I have never had the need for it and do not see the need for it now. Guidelines say fly LOS, flying LOS should never put you on a collision course with anything unless operator error is involved like a to low RTH height

Originally Posted by DiederikHarkema

Be patient, OA is still at infant stages for Mr's. Be patient it is on its way. personal opinion is that over the years I have never had the need for it and do not see the need for it now. Guidelines say fly LOS, flying LOS should never put you on a collision course with anything unless operator error is involved like a to low RTH height

I wasn't really asking about whether or not it's necessary, just whether the tool exists in such a form.

Yes, the Matrice has a full 360 OA system available, and it's completely customizable, including a vision processing platform called the Manifold. Check it out. Ain't cheap.

http://www.dji.com/mobile/product/guidance

https://www.dji.com/mobile/newsroom/...orm-developers

Full scale OAs are still in the lab. For now, I don't think the market is ready nor welling to pay for the cost. The realsense (YUNeec/Intel) has the distance issue so does the P4 (optical) system. It has resolution issue. The Neato LIDAR can overcome such shortage and can look 360. The cost of LIDAR is coming down but still cost more than realsense or kinectic sensor. Also, I can solve the payload and computation demand issue. In addition, the chip makers (intel/qualcomm/Nvidia/etc) have their own agenda. On paper, qualcomm dragonfly is ideal for the application. it has the gps, gyro and image processing features. I have been waiting for them to add SFM or optical flow algorithm to it. It has been 2 years and wait countinue. Ganted, both algorithm is computation dmanding and may overtax the chip.Meanwhile Intel Quadchip with realsense is released last year. but they have to use hex to solve the payload issue.

Yep, only the DJI Matrice.

Originally Posted by Cinetography

I wasn't really asking about whether or not it's necessary, just whether the tool exists in such a form.

My sincere apologies, I will try not to answer anything from you again

OA is a marketing gimmick, I don't remember in any forums anyone complaining about hitting an obstacle before P4 advent.
They just try Apple tactics, we invent your needs...

laser ones also

http://www.lightware.co.za/shop/en/8-sense-and-avoid

Originally Posted by renatoa

OA is a marketing gimmick, I don't remember in any forums anyone complaining about hitting an obstacle before P4 advent.
They just try Apple tactics, we invent your needs...

Hehe, that's a good one; will have to remember that.

OA goes back many years on DIYDrones. The current offerings IMO are novelties.

However, a practical affordable solution may be in the works.
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/...age=2#comments
http://scanse.io/#firstPage

OA is not a marketing gimmick. I believe it is a critical component for unmanned missions. you can't expect no new construction or tree growth on your route. When OA is mature enough to detect thin branch and high voltage line, people will demand OA for their drones.

Right now, the MIT OA seems to hold the promise, but there are still too many moving pieces. please keep watching out for OA

Originally Posted by slimething

Hehe, that's a good one; will have to remember that.

OA goes back many years on DIYDrones. The current offerings IMO are novelties.

However, a practical affordable solution may be in the works.
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/...age=2#comments
http://scanse.io/#firstPage

The LIDA technology has two issues, 1. the cost and the payload issues 2, the intrusive laser beam may cause alarm.

Originally Posted by PE9999

The LIDA technology has two issues, 1. the cost and the payload issues 2, the intrusive laser beam may cause alarm.

Did you actually read anything about its capabilities? What alarm are you talking about? Is it going to burn people's eyeballs out or something? Lidar is already a popular system on Arducopter FC. And $259 is high? It's not made for toy grade platforms. 120g is light for something like this.

Sheesh.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/r...ots-and-drones


It will be ready for Pixhawk (Arducopter) flight controllers and beat the socks off anything currently available at the consumer level. MIT? For ~$250? Really?

Originally Posted by renatoa

OA is a marketing gimmick, I don't remember in any forums anyone complaining about hitting an obstacle before P4 advent.
They just try Apple tactics, we invent your needs...

Yeah, that's kind of like the marketing gimmick in WWI when they came up with synchronized machineguns that could shoot between prop blades! They didn't complain about shooting above the blade or hitting bullet deflectors on the props. But once they came out with it it sure made for a way more accurate gun and all the bullets counted!

Why are we discussing here about unmanned missions, isn't this supposed to be a hobby forum ?
Since then a mission became hobby ?
This forum was so free of commercial interests before drones advent... I miss those times...