Inside Unmanned Systems

APR-MAY 2017

Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.

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64 unmanned systems inside April/May 2017 AIR NEW APPLICATIONS in custom-made boxes branded for Ford and DroneCast. They were of a new truck that Ford had just launched, the Ford Raptor. Attendees would text in, and we would send them back a time they should wait for a delivery. We had specific landing zones set up, and the drone would fly over, and the attendee would catch the drone. It was quite an interactive experience." "Ford loved it, and attendees loved it," Singh said. "We got Ford and ourselves 40-some- thing different news articles published in a day. Looking at that attention as the sole metric, when compared to the numbers you see from other types of advertising methods previously used by Ford, it was a very success- ful campaign." Other firms are also using drones to pro- mote brands at events. "We work with mas- sive companies—Marriott, Vonage, Pepsi, Renaissance Hotels, Mountain Dew and others—big names who have the budgets to spend on these events," said Brett Velicovich, managing partner of Expert Drones. "For me, our events department is the most entertain- ing thing we do. I got into business to do cool things with drones, and each week people ask if we can do one surprising thing with drones or another, and our team thinks about if it's realistic and legal to do these things." For instance, Expert Drones dev ised a drone cocktail bar for Pepsi that mixed and delivered drinks at the grand opening of the SLS Brickell luxury hotel in downtown Miami in 2016. "Everyone's been to bars, but "WE TOLD OUR 3-D-PRINTING GUYS to make something in which the drone could shake a cocktail, and we got a servo that, with the push of one button, can make the shaker go up and down, and with another button pour the cocktail into a glass when it lands." Brett Velicovich, managing partner, Expert Drones to see drinks mixed with drones makes the experience more entertaining and memora- ble," Velicovich said. One model that Expert Drones used as a drone bartender was the DJI Inspire 1. "We knew how much payload it can hold, so we knew the amount of liquid and ice it could carry," Velicovich said. "We told our 3-D printing guys to make something in which the drone could shake a cocktail, and we got a servo that, with the push of one button, can make the shaker go up and down, and with another button pour the cocktail into a glass when it lands." "We also had a drone that could securely hold an average-size cocktail glass that you might put scotch or Jack and Coke in that can be delivered to people," Velicovich said. "We had a drone deliver a cocktail drink to the owner of the SLS chain while he was de- livering a speech on stage. Everyone in the crowd just stopped to watch him. He looked like a champion. That's golden in terms of advertising." Reg ulator y k nowledge is key to host- ing drone events. "We get people say ing, 'Hey, we'd like to do an event with drones in downtown New York City,' and we're like, 'Downtown New York City is a pretty danger- ous place to f ly drones outdoors—you've got major airports and millions of people. Can you move this indoors?'" Velicovich said. "Or, if you want an outdoors event when it comes to Miami, we can ask if we can do it in an area that's not restricted airspace. Our clients are To make their events memorable fi rms have hired drones to mix drinks and to fl y banners alongside costumed people in jetpacks. Photos courtesy of Expert Drones

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