Hackaday mods to the AR Drone 2.0 (dangerous)

[calebkraft]

Hi all,
Caleb from hackaday.com here. If you're unfamiliar with our site, well, its hard to explain, but we feature hardware hacking of all types.

For the next few weeks, I'm going to be abusing an AR Drone 2.0. I will be doing some things to it that aren't necessarily practical, and might be potentially dangerous to bystanders/the drone (with proper precautions, don't worry). The drone might not even survive everything in the end. We'll see.

Ideas so far that should be fairly simple to implement.

- custom built very light airsoft gun. (c02 powered)
- flame ball shooter (look up magicians flash cotton shooter)
- flame thrower (my initial plan was to use a butane refill cannister, It is WAY too heavy and doesn't extinguish cleanly when it stops)
- persistence of vision display (we did this to a spy trackr... scroll all the way down)
- - high power laser for popping balloons (yeah, inside with proper eyewear etc) not too excited about this... its basically just pointing a laser.

So, anyone know if it is possible to send a signal out of the AR drone itself without having to do a full macguyver/miru mod? Anything I can tap into on the motherboard that could put out a signal using the stock iphone app? I can add an external R/C channel if I have to, but I'd rather not.

[Fakejb]

I'm very curious to see what u come up with. I'm currently working on a battery powered flame thrower and a co2 rig myself. Weight is a huge issue with the 2.0.

[Fozza]

I'm almost afraid to watch!

Good luck with it look forward to seeing the results

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[calebkraft]

I'm very curious to see what u come up with. I'm currently working on a battery powered flame thrower and a co2 rig myself. Weight is a huge issue with the 2.0.

So what are you attempting for the flamethrower? I was going to use a small butane refill canister if I can find one. Attach a tube to the nozzle with a glo plug in the end of of it. Use a small servo to compress the release on the canister. All that weight ads up though.

[Schlauncha]

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[calebkraft]

I see that you're not a fan of this idea. If you compare your jokingly horrible ideas to mine, you'll see that what I'm doing is fairly harmless. I'm not going to be flying outside with lasers on, or going into the woods with flammables. Nothing I'm doing will cause any more regulation of r/c stuff. Actually, the flights over towns with the gopros will probably get more attention (regulation wise) than anything I'll do.

You mentioned a thermite bomb though, we've got experience with thermite, so that one might actually be cool. http://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/how-to-t ... struction/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DBS]

That's why we can't have fun toys anymore... some people have to have everything completely safe or they'll sue somebody

Never mind that this thing has sharp plastic blades rotating at over 3500RPMs that'll put a kids eye out!! Jesus... call the consumer protection agency!!

Have fun with those hackaday mods and i'm sure you'll be safe while doing it

Get that $hit on video bro!!!

[Schlauncha]

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[calebkraft]

Well, when the news likes to stir up public concern, they go for the worst case examples, and the AR Drone is an easy and common target, being an "off-the shelf spy drone that can hack wifi networks" or however they spin it. The stuff you're putting together isn't itself super dangerous or a realistic danger to its immediate surroundings, but the problem is that this is being done for something with as much coverage as Hackaday. Now when they want to come up with examples to justify tighter regulations, "oh look well this off-the shelf one can carry a flamethrower OMG!". It'd be doing quite a disservice to the hobby. It's like being a motorcyclist and purposefully revving your loud exhaust when it's late at night. Others of us might have loud exhaust, and might even rev it now and then, but there is a point where you're really making your group look bad.

well, you're entitled to your opinion. I guess you won't be watching and enjoying as we have fun with this.

[MaxFlyer]

Guns, flamethrowers, lasers... brilliant ideas all. Perhaps when your site gets hits from Al Kyda then some-or-all of the FBI, ATF, DHS, and Interpol will come-a-callin' and you will wonder why you didn't take-up checkers instead.Which btw will come in handy when you do your prison time of course.

Yes, have fun. See you in the police logs!

[calebkraft]

Guns, flamethrowers, lasers... brilliant ideas all. Perhaps when your site gets hits from Al Kyda then some-or-all of the FBI, ATF, DHS, and Interpol will come-a-callin' and you will wonder why you didn't take-up checkers instead.Which btw will come in handy when you do your prison time of course.

Yes, have fun. See you in the police logs!

oh wow, you haven't looked at hackaday.com have you. Yeah, if there are lists out there, we're probably on them. We've done much more serious things than put an airsoft gun on a flying toy.

I guess I thought you guys would enjoy the fun goofy aspect of all this. I guess I was wrong. No worries.

[Schlauncha]

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[DBS]

well, you're entitled to your opinion. I guess you won't be watching and enjoying as we have fun with this.

Don't listen to these clowns (I never had an opportunity to say that where it was actually appropriate)

I've seen cannons mounted on cars... I've seen flame throwers mounted on cars... I've seen cars that can go well over 5 times the posted speed limit on public roads...

But I never seen them ban cars from public sale just because outrageous people do outrageous things with them to get some attention

I hope the above posts are more motivation to be more outrageous with your mods... I , for one , will be watching and enjoying

[calebkraft]

We've done this to all manners of toys and tools. There's never been an issue, and there's always some people whipped into a panic beforehand. I'm used to it.

[Schlauncha]

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