Why build the Flying Bison?
The inspiration for the Flying Bison was to combine two modern technologies that have been extensively developed since the turn of the century: virtual reality multimedia and unmanned aerial vehicles. Since progress is being made in these two fields at remarkable rates, trying to integrate the two of them seems natural. The goal for this project is to design a three axis gimbal that is controlled through the sensors on the Oculus Rift. The user would be able to move his head around, and the gimbal would match his motion and stream the 3D video real time to the Oculus Rift. This whole set up will be attached to the quadcopter. The live video stream combined with First-Person Control capabilities using the Oculus Rift will make for an intuitive and immersive flight environment. The user will feel like he is actually in the air and be able to control the drone without second thought. There are not too many examples of the combination of these technologies. One aspect that separates this project from others is that it utilizes a 3-Axis instead of a 2-axis gimbal for more realistic video feeds. The combination of the 3-axis gimbal and first-person controlled quadcopter through the Oculus Rift will give an unmatched immersive user experience.