Safety

Raspberry Fly

A Raspberry Pi based autonomous aerial drone

Safety

As mentioned several times caution is very important when working with drones. Danger is present throughout the project, but this shouldn't scare you away from doing it. You simply have to take precations. The list shown below is not exhaustive, but simply serves to reduce potential hazards.

 

  • Motors: A drone has powerful motors and you do NOT want to get your fingers or anything else in the rotorblades. I have had one accident and still have scars on my leg.
  • Rotorblades: Tighten the rotorblades well and in accordance with the instructions in your ARF kit. You do NOT wan't one coming off when testing (especially indoors)!
  • Testing: Do extensive testing before attempting to fly your drone. Build a testing rig that allows you to do safe testing even if you have made a mistake that makes the drone go nuts (and yes that WILL happen at some point). Wear protective goggles when testing.
  • Batteries: Use care when charging, using and storing LiPo batteries! They can cause an explosive fire if defective or handled incorrectly. You can see for yourself on youtube. Always charge in LiPo bags and store in a place that wont cause your house to go up in flames if the battery does blow up for some reason. NEVER charge a LiPo battery unatended and NEVER use or charge a LiPo battery if it is puffed up!
  • Legal: When flying your drone be sure to know what laws govern use of drones in your country/region. Laws may be different for private and commercial use. They may also differ based on drone weight and whether you control your drone directly or let it fly autonomously (having a kill switch is a VERY good thing during autonomous flight). You may also be required to hold some sort of certification or insurance.

 

 

Drones are fun but can be dangerous. Use any information on these pages at your own risk