Hyderabad: Researchers at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH), have unveiled a unique kite camera that promises to be a cost-effective alternative to drones and existing Kite Assisted Photography (KAP).
The researchers from Process, Architecture, and Technology Research in IoT (PATRIoT) have designed a lightweight system that can be mounted on any ordinary kite to capture images.
Unlike today’s KAP structures that require a camera to be attached to a sturdy, specially adapted kite via a harness, the system called KiteCam is a kite with a sleek camera module attached to its spine.
Since a kite is dependent on wind to fly, the research team led by student Abhinav Navnit, led by Dr Aftab Hussain, first conducted an in-depth study of flight dynamics.
The normal Indian ‘patang’ (kite) you get has a weight of 10-15 grams, so you need to have the necessary wind power to lift it and everything that is mounted on it. We found that normal wind conditions can carry something like 50 grams, of which 10 g is the weight of the kite itself. So our whole system had to fit in about 40 grams, ”said De Hussain.
The system, which uses a camera, a processor and a battery, has found the biggest challenge in typical batteries that are bulky and heavy. To counteract this, the team used two ultra-light and flexible lithium-polymer batteries weighing only 4.65 grams each. The total setup, consisting of the batteries, along with the camera and power management modules, successfully weighed 42 gms below the maximum limit required to charge.
In the first test flight itself, the KiteCam revealed its superiority in terms of drones in terms of energy consumption by flying successfully for 35 minutes, during which a total of 4 356 images were taken. Dr. Hussain, who it is an inconspicuous way of surveillance, emphasizes the rumbling noise and size of drones making them unlikely candidates for fact-finding missions in sensitive areas. Another plus that works in favor of the KiteCam is that since most of its surface is non-electronic, it cannot be detected by radars.
According to the professor, the biggest advantage of the KiteCam is that it is battery free. ‘Unlike a drone, the kite’s elevator is created here by wind power and not by battery power. It makes a big difference between the battery capacity and the use of the battery, ”says Dr Hussain. Based on the wind speed and camera settings, it has been found that the current KiteCam design can monitor up to six hours in a single flight.
Dr. Hussain does acknowledge that there is a downside to using a kite. “First, you need to have good kite flying skills. And unless you want to quickly scan a wide area, it’s harder to precisely control a kite to measure a specific marked small area. ‘
To enhance the current features of the KiteCam, it is planned to optimize the shutter speed for better image stability and to reduce the frames per second to save battery capacity. It can also be used as a sensor for recording temperature, humidity, pollution for air monitoring.
Source: The Siasat Daily