3D Robotics
{{Short description|American drone company}}
{{Advert|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox company
| name = 3DR Robotics
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| romanized_name =
| trading_name =
| logo = 3D Robotics Logo.svg
| image =
| image_caption =
| type =
| traded_as =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| defunct =
| fate =
| area_served =
| key_people =
| industry = Drone software
| genre =
| products = Drone software, drone data analytics
| brands = Site Scan
| production =
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees = 70+
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|http://3dr.com}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|2009}}
| founders = Chris Anderson, Jordi Muñoz
| location = Berkeley, California
| bodystyle =
}}
3DR, also known as 3D Robotics, is an American company located in Berkeley, California that produces enterprise drone software for construction, engineering and mining firms, as well as government agencies.{{Cite web |title=3D Robotics - About Us |url=http://3drobotics.com/about-us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118191927/http://3drobotics.com/about-us/ |archive-date=2014-11-18 |access-date=2014-11-18}}
Prior to 2016, the company designed and marketed commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles including consumer drones, ready-to-fly quadcopters for aerial photography and mapping, and fixed-wing UAVs based on the Ardupilot platform. However, as of September 2016, 3DR and the major open source Ardupilot development community separated due to disagreements over the license of the open source code on which 3DR products are based.{{Cite web |date=9 September 2016 |title=ArduPilot and DroneCode part ways |url=http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/ardopilot-and-dronecode-part-ways}}
The company was co-founded as 3D Robotics in 2009 by Chris Anderson and Jordi Muñoz.{{cite web |title=A Hot-Shot Magazine Editor And A Tijuana Teenager Met Online And Made $5 Million Building Drones |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-3d-robotics-founders-chris-anderson-and-jordi-munoz-met-2014-12 |access-date=December 12, 2014 |work=Business Insider}} The pair met online through the DIY Drones community, which Anderson originally started for aerial vehicle enthusiasts.{{cite web |title=Jordi Muñoz Wants You to Have a Drone of Your Own |url=https://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/jordi-muoz-drone/story?id=18332163 |access-date=February 1, 2013 |work=Business Insider}}
Products of 3DR
Below is a list of products released by 3DR.
The Solo Drone was released in May 2015 and marketed to the consumer and professional aerial photography market. It is powered by two computers and designed specifically for the GoPro Hero camera. The stated aim of the Solo drone is the ease of both flying the drone and taking professional aerial photos and videos.{{cite web|url= http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/3d-robotics-new-solo-drone-promises-hollywood-quality-photos-n340746 |title= 3D Robotics New Solo Drone Promises Hollywood Quality Photos|access-date=April 13, 2015|work=NBC News|date= 13 April 2015}}
File:Chris Anderson & 3D Robotics (8409109253).jpg
The IRIS+ Drone was released in September 2014. It was designed as a recreational drone, and it uses a mounted GoPro camera to take pictures. The drone is capable of achieving a top speed of 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour and has a range of up to 3,280 feet.{{cite web|url= http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/19/what-you-should-know-about-the-iris-quadcopter/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150324010650/http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/19/what-you-should-know-about-the-iris-quadcopter/|url-status= dead|archive-date= March 24, 2015|title=What You Should Know About the Iris+ Quadcopter
|access-date=March 19, 2015|work=National Geographic Voices}}
The X8 Quadcopter was released in November 2014. It has a modular design and comes in two versions. The X8+, with a built-in gimbal and GoPro camera, is aimed at aerial photography and cinematography; the X8-M quadcopter is intended for mapping applications. Both X8 versions support waypoint navigation technology.{{cite web|url= http://www.dronezon.com/drone-reviews/3dr-x8-quadcopter-for-mapping-and-aerial-filming/
|title= X8 Quadcopter For Aerial Photography And Mapping|access-date=February 28, 2015|work=DroneZon.com|date= 28 February 2015}}
The Aero-M Fixed Wing UAV was released in November 2014. It is fully automated and has a mapping platform that creates geo-referenced and ortho-rectified mosaics. This fixed wing drone has an estimated flight time of up to 40 minutes and is able to photograph an area of up to 250 acres per flight. The Pix4D software allows for the creation of geo-referenced, photogrammetrized, and ortho-rectified mosaics from the images. The Aero-M UAV is intended to benefit conservation efforts and industries such as farming and construction, through the creation of geo-referenced maps.{{cite web|url=http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1106909-REG/3d_robotics_3dr0251_aero_m_drone_for_visual_spectrum.html|title=3DR Aero-M Drone For Visual Spectrum Aerial Maps|access-date=November 14, 2014|work=BHPhotovideo.com}}
As of March 2016, 3DR announced that they would no longer be manufacturing drones. In response to the company ceasing to produce hardware, a former employee,{{Who|date=November 2022}} interviewed in Forbes magazine in 2016, is quoted as saying "3DR was a $100 million blunder based on ineptitude."{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/10/05/3d-robotics-solo-crash-chris-anderson/#2dfd60e24840|title=Behind the Crash of 3D Robotics, North America's Most Promising Drone Company|website=Forbes }}
Dronecode
3DR is a founding member of the Dronecode{{cite web|url=https://www.dronecode.org/about/|title=Dronecode Project|access-date=October 13, 2014|work=Dronecode|archive-date=December 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203164259/https://www.dronecode.org/about/|url-status=dead}} Consortium, a non-profit organization governed by the Linux Foundation. The Consortium was formed in 2014 with the goal of using open source Linux for the benefit of users with affordable and more reliable UAV software.{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/29/dronecode_linux/
|title=Linux bids for UAV World Domination|access-date=June 29, 2015|work=theregister.co.uk}} Other notable members are Intel, Qualcomm, Parrot SA, and Walkera.{{cite web|url=https://www.dronecode.org|title=Dronecode Sponsors|access-date=October 10, 2014|work=Dronecode.org}}
{{cite web|url=https://www.dronecode.org/news-faq/announcement/2015/06/open-source-dronecode-project-attracts-new-investment-and-members|title=Open Source Dronecode Project Attracts New Investment and Members|access-date=June 29, 2015|work=Dronecode.org|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150629194949/https://www.dronecode.org/news-faq/announcement/2015/06/open-source-dronecode-project-attracts-new-investment-and-members|archive-date=June 29, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31356080 BBC News: The Mexican immigrant who set up a global drone firm]
Category:Electronics companies established in 2009
Category:Companies based in Berkeley, California
Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers
Category:2009 establishments in California