ByRobot’s Drone Fighter is built for combat against other drones.
No matter where you look today, drones seem to be everywhere. At CES earlier this year, drones had a huge part of the floor space. Some drones where huge and used for commercial applications, some for personal use around the property, and some were just for fun. With the bigger ones, you need to register with the FAA and that’s not my cup of tea. I focused on the small drones that have a multitude of applications. I chose to check out ByRobot’s Drone Fighters. It’s just a little larger than my whole hand and the uses are pretty much endless. These are the first generation so there are a few kinks, but it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment.
The fighter drones are very small and lightweight making them maneuverable and you get to enjoy them in your living room if you like. The outer shell of the drone is a lightweight plastic covering the schematic board that is the drones chassis. The four rotors are separated by a thin piece of plastic that can be removed for other attachments or whilst changing a broken blade. Underneath is a small plastic cradle for the battery and two infrared sensors for pair and battle mode. LED lights strong the whole body of the drone giving a nice visual effect in low light condition, with as small as the drone is it will be a easy to lose in the dark. Included with each drone is a Bluetooth controller, 4 extra propeller blades, a battery charger, two batteries, and four different sticker sets to customize your fighter.
While I’m new to the drone game, the initial set up is very straight forward. There are complete instructions included as well as a getting started guide. I couldn’t contain my urge to fly, so I opted for the getting started guide. Syncing the controller to the drone is fairly simple. Hold two buttons down while the controller and drone are level with the infrared sensors facing each other. There are led indicator lights all over the drone and you know that you are pairs when he lights flicker a blinking blue light and the controller beeps at you. A few quick adjustments to orient the controls and it was time to fly. There is also flight simulator for PC that can show you the ropes before you even take the reigns of the drone.
My first flight was hilariously a failure right off the bat. After a few more attempt it almost became second nature to navigate thru my home. I quickly found out that the drone and ceiling fans are natural enemies, not to worry though, replacing a blade is quick and simple. Since it is a first generation, there isn’t an auto hover which does make some things a little more difficult, but achievable with some practice. Flying outside was a bit tricky if there is a even a slight breeze. If it’s calm out side you can really let loose to a certain extent. I got about 100 feet of range which is pretty decent for a tiny drone.
The real fun of this drone is that it’s a fighter. Gone are the days of passing around a controller. These are built for fighting, not in a traditional smash into each other way but firing on each other. There are 2 infrared sensors on each drone. With a simple pull of the trigger you get to blast away at your friends. The controller sounds and the drone itself lights up when you recover a hit letting you and your friend know.
ByRobot has an HD 720p 30fps camera that attaches to the bottom of the drone to record your flights. Attaching the camera is a little tedious, but not hard. You take off the protective guard for the propellers, so don’t just start off with a camera. Get used to it a bit before you try recording. Included with the camera are longer landing arms. Attaching the camera itself is simple. Unhook the plastic piece that holds the battery and replace it with the camera assembly. It holds the battery in place and tucks itself right to the battery. The camera has a 70 degree view angle that gives you a bird eyes view of your flight. All the recording is done on a mini SD card that slides right into the side of the camera. ByRobot is nice enough to include a 4Gb card to get you started
Considering that the battery is small and only gets you about 10 minutes of flight you will need to switch out batteries for the serious battles. ByRobot also has a 4 port battery battery charger with 4 extra batteries to keep the battle going.
Thanks to ByRobot’s drone fighters, I am now addicted to all things drone (especially if I can fight them).
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For more information, visit byrobot.co.kr/drone-fighter.
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