Aerial photography is a very unusual, but at the same time quite popular hobby all over the world. Nowadays it starts drawing the interest of Russian citizens. This form of activity occurred in far 1850-s: those times it was a special kind of photography with the help of pigeons and aircrafts such as planes and airships. Nowadays aerial photographers mostly use quadrocopters and kites. The kites have the primary advantage – they can stay in the air for a very long time without need for recharge, if the weather is windy.
Prototypster creates and launches its API for integration with online services and applications
Gadgets for camera fastening in aerial kite photo have to be portable and firm to be easy lifted in the air and transported down the wind. The doctor of Philology and professor of the Department of French in Novosibirsk State University Michele Debrenne is interested in aerial photography for 4 years. She decided to try 3D printing for the first time and came to Prototypster. She took an advice from one of her team-mates and downloaded a 3D model of rotation device for camera in Thingiverse gallery.
Great work done! Prototypster made 3D printed details for this rotation device. For this purpose the white polyamide was used, because it was perfectly suitable for the manufacturing the complex design products, technological prototypes and functional models. Thanks to the material characteristics, Prototypster made construction of the device light and fail-safe in order to carry the dead weight and camera weight.
 |
 |
The left picture: 3D printed details. The right picture: the rotation device with the camera.
According to Michele Debrenne, the first time kite aerial photography was made in 1885. Those times photographers hitched a huge camera to a kite and made a picture by means of Bickford fuze attached to the camera. Then they need to fly a kite and make a photo while the Bickford fuze burned.
The kite for lifting the artillery spotter.
Sensitive issues
While creating a 3D model of such construction as rotation device it is very important to take into account several factors. To begin assembling the gears you need to make thorough postprocessing to assure effective details' rotation.
The point of the gadget for kite aerial photography is backing-up and rotation of a camera. It is made to avoid vibration and get pin-sharp pictures.
 |
 |
The left picture: the mandatory attributes of kite aerial photography — kite, gloves, handrail and straps. The right picture: the device fastening at the arrow with the life-line.
«As a result of using 3D printed details I’ve got an opportunity to exclude batteries from the rotation process», — Michele comments. «If a contact keeps coming loose or a battery is run down in classical construction, photography is fail. For this reason it is very convenient to work with the system based on the wind strength. Besides using a kite is very ecological».
During the experiments with the mechanism Michele has changed the construction for a little. In particular, she has taken away a top of the device so-called picavet and fixed the device with an arrow, because an axle from the details set was too shaggy and solid.
Also Michele add a safety rope to the device: «The designer of the 3D model didn’t think about life-line. I decided to make it. If for any reason all this construction will fall down, then the safety rope holds it with the kite».
Professor Debrenne is playing with idea that the gadget for aerial photo can be modernized: «I'd like to 3D print the long and hollow axle to put the safety rope inside it. Another thing is to improve the smoothness. Then all drawbacks will fade away».
3D printing for the other hobbies
3D printing technology gives fancy a full scope and from our experience supports the people in their hobbies. For instance, the bench-scale modelling uses 3D printing for separate elements of scale models. The gamers 3D print figurines of their favorite characters. The motorists apply an additive manufacturing for replacement details.
3D printing finds many practical cases in everyday life. We believe that Prototypster’s work will be more popular and the number of our clients will rise day by day.
Pictures examples by means of the kite of Michele Debrenne:
Vladivostok. The view to the Russky island.
Berdsk. The view to the Old beach.
The Koyon river. Iskitim district of the Novosibirsk region.
Akademgorodok. The Star beach.
Introducing yellow photopolymer – our new material for 3D printing for jewelry