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$96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

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Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#201

Post by the__alchemist »

torginus wrote: post #141
firesteelrain wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if the correct sensor could be chosen (whatever it is), unlikely is attainable by consumers and the technology would definitely be export controlled in the US.

I think MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers used in consumer drones should be just about good enough to measure orientation and acceleration, and those are cheap and easy to get. You could integrate acceleration to get speed - the flight is short enough to make compounding errors easy to ignore. I think thanks to drones and RC hobbyists, there's a generally nice body of knowledge on how to get good enough data from co…

> You could integrate acceleration to get speed - the flight is short enough to make compounding errors easy to ignore.

False, given how noisy MEMS IMUs are, and the accuracy required. Even Ring Laser Gyros drift quickly.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#202

Post by neatze »

mothballed wrote: post #150
mikkupikku wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MANPADS are certainly covered by ITAR. It could probably be effectively argued by his lawyers that what he has created isn't truly MANPADS but rather just an edgy toy that superficially resembles a weapon system but isn't actually capable of performing as one. Maybe that would work, but I think his chance of getting dragged into the legal system for this or for some chickenshit like weed possession are very high, par…

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332g states that just having a system "intended to launch or guide a rocked or missile described in... [description of MANPAD type rocket]" carries life imprisonment. He calls it a manpad and then shows a system intended to launch it. There is no consideration in the law whether he actually plans to use it or ever meant any violence, nor any consideration of whether it viol…

the links says explosives + guidance system, but guidance system still allowed in hobby project as long aim toward sun (eg. sun is the target, same for stabilization), I think having horizontal stabilization hitting an target would be equal to breaking law.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#203

Post by chatmasta »

rdtsc wrote: post #172
lukan wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Realistically, I doubt there’s ANY system out there will be able to counter small weaponized drones that are flown manually " Why would lasers not work? Those cheap drones are made from plastic, if you have a laser powerful enough and a target guidance system (like a camera and a PI) - then you would just need enough of them.

At very short distances and with a lot of power, perhaps. Despite what we see in movies laser beams diverge. And then with distance it’s harder to track moving objects precisely to hit the same spot long enough to melt it. At that point might as well spend the money to use a kinetic weapon with basic tracking and ballistic calculations.

Kinetic weapons pose greater risk to bystanders.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#204

Post by tamimio »

ninjagoo wrote: post #116
tamimio wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that’s ok if it’s failing to do the job as intended, learning is acquired, and it looks fun to build, I am in the field and I find it great homemade concept. Realistically, I doubt there’s ANY system out there will be able to counter small weaponized drones that are flown manually let alone with AI, you might have some workarounds, but never a real counter.

> Realistically, I doubt there’s ANY system out there will be able to counter small weaponized drones that are flown manually let alone with AI, you might have some workarounds, but never a real counter. Weaponized drones (say D_A) can be countered by other weaponized drones (say D_B), equally cheap or cheaper than D_A because the D_A is usually targeting something larger (so more payload) and typically has a longer…

Couldn’t post earlier seems HN is rate limited :/

hardest issue as I mentioned in another comment is detection. Now on using other drones to counter a drone, there are other issues, as I built and tested some before, assuming you got the detection part done. The first one is guidance and correction mid-air, flying manually won’t really be practical due to the need for an extraordinary flying skills, which can’t be relied on in the field, the second part is the speed, you need to ALWAYS make sure the interceptor is faster to catch it up, third is the weight, I disagree about the payload part you mentioned, I have seen videos of light weight drones failing to wreck bigger ones, if you are relying on collision alone. Additionally, the telemetry/video/C&C for the interceptor, if jamming is already in place, your counter won’t work either.

The swarm will require a low latency comms link, centralized or decentralized, if the area is jammed, it won’t work. i have built a self-healing decentralized system using cellular in each drone, but that’s useless if the network is down to start with.

So they might work in a very specific use case, but not an ultimate solution to counter them.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#205

Post by tjoff »

rdtsc wrote: post #177
tjoff wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Expensive is fine since it is reusable.

At some point it itself becomes a target. It has to be able to get almost 100% kills, otherwise the enemy can swarm it with cheap drones, destroy the expensive installation, then continue as before.

Sure, but it needs many "many times" for that to be a factor.

And even in the case it could be useful as an addition to or paired with a tank etc.

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#206

Post by whamlastxmas »

runako wrote: post #182
make3 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wonder why rockets are millions of dollars each, that seems insane to me.

Part of it is the sophistication. Take the Tomahawk: assumed range of ~1000 miles , estimated accuracy of 30 feet. Can launch from above or below water. Etc. The other part is the limited production runs. Until last month, the DoD was generally purchasing ~100 of these annually. There's no scale economy in making these, so those 100 missiles need to support the entire production & R&D of the product.

I imagine part of it is also zero acceptance for failed launches. It needs to always work

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#207

Post by 15155 »

danmaz74 wrote: post #108
tamimio wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that’s ok if it’s failing to do the job as intended, learning is acquired, and it looks fun to build, I am in the field and I find it great homemade concept. Realistically, I doubt there’s ANY system out there will be able to counter small weaponized drones that are flown manually let alone with AI, you might have some workarounds, but never a real counter.

> Realistically, I doubt there’s ANY system out there will be able to counter small weaponized drones that are flown manually let alone with AI What kind of systems are you thinking about? Jet airplanes for sure are completely safe from small drones.

A flock of unlucky geese can knock out a jet turbine, how is this a "for sure" conclusion?

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#208

Post by tamimio »

jacquesm wrote: post #164
tamimio wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>FOV FPV. But I really hate the whole weaponization of these FPV drones (as opposed to the bigger fixed wings ones), not just they ruined the fun hobby that a lot enjoy, but also increased the prices for the parts. Before 2022 whenever I talk about drones everyone is enthusiastic about them, what benefits they can bring like drone deliveries and all, after that, you get a hostile reaction or the government putting yo…

You can hate it, but at the same time, without it Ukraine would have been overrun by now and I think that trumps your feelings about your hobby.

That's not true at all, the success rates of these fpv drones are around 1 to 100, ie out of 100 failed attempt you get a hit, but you only see the successful ones, and those aren't my words, this is straight up from a Canadian soldier in Ukraine (1). And you can actually ask any hobbyist, they will tell you how prone to failure/crashes/loss these fpv small drones are, after all, they are meant to be for fun.

(1) https://youtu.be/K8o4afysnBg?t=766

Re: $96 3D-printed rocket that recalculates its mid-air trajectory using a $5 sensor

#209

Post by pjc50 »

laborcontract wrote: post #45
Mizza wrote: post #6

This is bonkers. Video on GitHub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDO2EvXyncE I'm impressed by the kid's engineering and gumption, but I think he's a bit.. misguided, if you'll pardon the pun. The video ends with shots of Russian drone war, and, bizarrely, photos of David Koresh. I don't think this ends well.

soo... i have no kept up with what's gone on in russia/ukraine. Are those drone videos what i think they are – drones sneaking up on humans and, presumably, ceasing them of life? edit: Ok, I googled the guy > I have read the works of authors such as Jean Baudrillard, Desmod Morris, and Ted Kaczynski who believe that technology is harming us and the world. https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/User:Alisherkhojayev

> have no kept up with what's gone on in russia/ukraine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Russo-Ukrain...

"between 400,000 and 1.5 million estimated casualties (killed and wounded) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 24 February 2022 to November 2025"

Mostly due to artillery. Both sides are firing in the region of 10,000 155mm shells per day. For years.

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