New joystick enables drone flying with one hand

Record ID: 75795

  • Title: New joystick enables drone flying with one hand
  • Date: 6th December 2016
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (NOVEMBER 30, 2016) (REUTERS) CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT THIS IS ENGINEERING INC., LEE MIN-HONG, USING DRONE CONTROLLER, SHIFT, WHILE SITTING, AND DRONE FLYING LEE'S RIGHT HAND HOLDING STICK AND HIS THUMB, WEARING WIRELESS RING, MOVING DRONE FLYING LEE USING SHIFT EXTENSION DEVICE WHILE SITTING, AND DRONE FLYING CEO AND FOUNDER OF THIS IS ENGINEERING, HONG YOO-JUNG (CENTRE), LEE (THIRD FROM RIGHT), AND RESEARCHERS SITTING AND TALKING RESEARCHER'S HAND HOLDING DEVICE AND HIS THUMB, WEARING WIRELESS RING, MOVING HONG HOLDING DRONE AND TOUCHING WING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CEO AND FOUNDER OF THIS IS ENGINEERING INC., HONG YOO-JUNG, SAYING: "The existing drone controllers need to be controlled with two hands and require a considerable amount of time to practice and be able to operate. On the other hand, Shift is a drone controlling system developed for an easy and intuitive control of drones in one hand." HONG USING SHIFT AND DRONE FLYING HONG HOLDING STICK AND MOVING HER THUMB WEARING WIRELESS RING DRONE FLYING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CEO AND FOUNDER OF THIS IS ENGINEERING INC., HONG YOO-JUNG, SAYING: "The drones can be moved to the front and the rear, to up and down, and to left and right with the use of the thumb and rotate with the use of the index finger. So the position of the thumb determines the speed and direction of the drone." HONG HOLDING SHIFT EXTENSION DEVICE AND SPEAKING HONG'S HAND TOUCHING SHIFT EXTENSION DEVICE SHIFT AND ITS EXTENSION DEVICE ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CEO AND FOUNDER OF THIS IS ENGINEERING INC., HONG YOO-JUNG, SAYING: "By using Shift extension device, professional aerial photographs can be taken without any extra equipment. It can also be used for FPV (First Person View) drone racing." HONG HOLDING MOBILE PHONE WITH LEFT HAND AND SHIFT WITH RIGHT HAND, WEARING WIRELESS RING ON THUMB
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2016 11:49
  • Keywords: drone thumb UAV Korea joystick thumb Seoul quadcopter
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015BQX5JV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korean researchers have developed a thumb stick that allows one-handed quadcopter control.
    The controller, called 'Shift', was made by Seoul-based venture company 'this is engineering Inc.' Composed of a wireless thumb ring and small joystick, it uses near-field micro sensing technology to send signals to a drone. Most quadcopters are controlled by dual-joystick controller.
    "The existing drone controllers need to be controlled with two hands and require a considerable amount of time to practice and be able to operate. However, Shift is a drone controlling system developed for an easy and intuitive control of drones in one hand," CEO and founder of the company, Hong Yoo-jung, told Reuters.
    The handheld device can fly for up to 30 minutes and carries a 4K camera that shoots 13-megapixel photographs and has 8 gigabytes of onboard memory.
    The user holds the joystick in one hand and pushes their thumb into an unattached ring above. The user can guide the drone by moving their thumb. For instance, by moving their thumb left they will make the drone move in the same direction.
    "The drones can be moved to the front and the rear, to up and down, and to left and right with the use of the thumb and rotate with the use of the index finger. So the position of the thumb determines the speed and direction of the drone," Hong said.
    "By using Shift extension device, professional aerial photographs can be taken without any extra equipment. It can also be used for FPV (First Person View) drone racing," Hong added.
    The controller can be matched with its own drone, but also linked with other company's models.
    "We are aiming for a prompt mass production and moving of our product into market by the first half of 2017 for consumers. We are also in the process of signing contracts with other drone manufacturers to allow users to control their drones with our controller," Hong said.
    The basic thumb ring and stick will be priced at around $150 USD and introduced to markets in Europe, Americas, and Asia early next year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register