FLYING AROUND……

I had never any interest in computer games. Long time ago my attention was drawn to a drone, for reporting purposes. I wrote a story about the possibilities of drone reporting; here it is: News that fFies: http://d3-media.blogspot.com/2012/08/drones-news-that-flies_8578.html . I did not practice myself. Drones were large and expensive. However, after more than 10 years a lot has happened. I was impressed by the Tello drone. For less than 100$ you can buy one at for example Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tello-CP-PT-00000252-01-Quadcopter-Drone/dp/B07BDHJJTH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=tello+drone&qid=1633178915&sr=8-2

This Ryze Tech Tello - Mini Drone Quadcopter is an impressive toy. Less than 30 grams, flies around 15 minutes, with a build in camera for pictures and video, remote control using an app on your mobile phone, and last but not least it is programmable with Python and JavaScript. Of course it is more a toy for fun, than a professional piece of equipment. With this small weight, flying outside is only possible under favorable weather conditions. Nevertheless you can learn how to fly a drone.

When you start up the Tello it creates a wifi -UDP-network. With your phone you connect to the Tello network, Start the app and you are ready to fly. The app has 8 build in flights: from bouncing to flipping forward and backwards. Or you just go your own way and fly around, to shoot a picture or make a video. In the mean time you can follow the feed of the Tello camera on your phone too.

The drone has no GPS on board, but uses a VPS (Visual Positional System, using two tiny cameras under the drone to determine the position) to provide aerial stability and smooth landings. So far it is fun flying around with the Tello. I have two areas for more research:

1. Programming the drone with Python and JavaScript;

2. The wifi connection is open, because no password is asked; could the drone be hacked? Let’s see what Wireshark has to say.