How I Started Worrying and Learned to Fear Our Robot Overlords

MAKE visited the folks at Game of Drones in sunny American Canyon two Sundays ago to see the latest in DIY battle drones. We saw a man running from hellfire of paintballs rained down from above. We found a group discussing lasers and wooden battle props. We saw copters crashing in the sky. “Hey, I want to strap on a Go Pro and crash into you.” This isn’t your everyday fly-in. Here are a few of our favorite scenes.

As one pilot put it, “it does what it looks like it does.”

Charging one battery with another. That’s how it’s done in the middle of nowhere.

This video-in-a-briefecase came in handy for searching for downed drones in tall grass.

Not only is the hub mounted in a food container, but the arms are hardware store towel racks.

Jason Dorie’s custom board running custom code on a custom CNC’d frame.

It’s easier to land on someone else’s hand than your own, but that didn’t stop some people from showing off.

And here are some moving photographical images to really help you feel the energy of the day.

First, two quadcopters battling for dominance of the sky.

Also, one man with a paintball gun cowering helplessly as a hexcopter pelts paint-filled projectiles at his person.

Finally, here’s some sweet FPV footage from one of the pilots at the event.

Game of Drones – Fly In – Launch Event from Singinius on Vimeo.