DRONES
world has never been or is only now venturing. We are talking here about large vertical take-off platforms in the fixed-wing VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) systems. We can also gain a competitive advantage by producing highly advanced sensors carried by drones and through the use of other modern technologies, e.g. in the field of artificial intelligence or augmented reality,” Śmierciak commented. While at the moment price competition is difficult for Polish producers, it is also possible that customers will turn to them for completely unrelated reasons. “We have no chance to conquer the market filled with cheap and highly specialized Chinese drones. Perhaps this will change in the future, because storm clouds are starting to gather over DJI, which has 80 percent of the global drone market. It’s about the accusations of spying for the Chinese government,” he added. Polish manufacturers should observe innovations introduced in the drone industry, such as increasingly lighter and more durable composite materials for the construction of load-bearing structures, algorithms that improve stability and flight length, as well as modules that enable object recognition in real time. It is also interesting that power systems are evolving towards renewable energy sources. “The use of PEM-FC cells is becoming more and more common, allowing a flight of several hours on a single hydrogen cylinder. In the field of security, procedures embedded in software are being developed, but also active solutions in which drones are equipped – e.g. rescue parachutes. All of these things combined make for extremely secure platforms, which will soon appear above our heads,” Śmierciak said.
Maciej (Mac) Poschwald has been racing drones for four years. He has several dozen victories and medals won in tournaments played all over the world – from Poland, through South Korea, to the US.
RACING IN THE DARK
Interview with Maciej Poschwald, drone racing pilot and co-founder of the ROTORACER company
Drone racing is a relatively young sport, isn’t it? How did your interest start? The explosion of the popularity of racing drones piloted using FPV goggles began with a movie on YouTube from 2014. I discovered this phenomenon a few months later – at that time I was looking for something new in my life. The vision of moving onboard a flying robot that leaves the fastest vehicles in the world behind (thrust to weight ratio of 10:1), and the opportunity to experience the environment from a completely new perspective – so far practically unattainable for a mortal – seemed extremely attractive. Which victories and medals do you consider the most important so far? They are all equally important, because I put all of my heart into every race and I don’t underestimate any of them.
What do the races look like? I understand that you see everything with the help of goggles, as if you were flying on this drone yourself? What do you feel then? Exactly. We mainly race with four to eight competitors. We usually fly a few laps on a specially designed track (3D). During the race, we see everything from the drone’s point of view, which makes us feel as if we were inside. We forget about drones, goggles and rods. Only self-control, piloting and reflexes matter at that point. But there is sometimes also a specific strategy. It is primarily a race of mind and skills. This is what pilots experience. And the viewers watch the blindingly bright racers crossing the unique tracks taken straight out of video games. What are the perspectives for the development of this sport in Poland and in the world? The entire drone industry is growing fast. Drone racing is the most exciting part of this. Different leagues broadcast their races on leading TV stations (CBS, ESPN, Eurosport). Although the sport is still in its early stages of development, huge resources are being invested around the world to promote it. In Poland, however, events are still low-budget, because there are no sponsors who would be ready for something so unusual. What drones are the best to fly? The fastest. And really the best equipped, i.e. those where the combination of parts is perfectly harmonized with the flight controller settings. Such a drone is piloted as if it were your third hand that you had completely forgotten you had.
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