“Working with Falkor’s robot pet during the dance film shoot opened our eyes to the possibilities this technology holds,” said Kyla Barkin. “A robot that flies autonomously is a perfect vessel for the expansion of our ideas and our ability to achieve our evolving artistic vision.”
Posts By Sameer
Falkor Systems will change the way you think about drones
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FALKOR SYSTEMS WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT DRONES
Flying pet robots to film extreme sports such as skiing and BASE jumping
New York, NY — The fiction of flying robots in our lives has become a reality. Will they be friend or foe? Falkor Systems is on a mission to change the conversation about drone technology. Profiled in Wired UK’s April 2013 “Robots We Love” issue as developers of the “flying pet drone,” Falkor Systems is driven by the possibilities of what a cheerful autonomous flying robot can do for you. Founded by C2Net Software founder and internet security pioneer Sameer Parekh, Falkor Systems joins the field of aerial robotics with innovative tracking software and an ambition to see robots as man’s best friend.
Falkor Systems Takes Flight (And Pictures of Your Motocross Rally)
Falkor System’s’ possibilities are on the cutting edge, and will take the leap with you. Imagine your attendant pet drone hovering to record your perfect BASE jump, best half-pipe, or epic day of skiing. Leave the camera behind and let Falkor film your action — innovative object tracking technology will ensure that your flying robot follows you, and you alone. And Falkor Systems is only getting started.
“This technology has the potential to change the way we live and enrich our lives,” says company founder and C.E.O. Sameer Parekh. Parekh envisions a near-future of flying robotic pets that are far more than toys for the tech-minded. When you’re not cliff-diving, your robot friend could carry your keys, remind you to get the milk, and Tweet a picture of your lunch so you don’t have to. With Falkor Systems, the sky’s the limit: flying robots that offer a dynamic engagement with your world and unleash your creativity.
Falkor has engaged top extreme sports film producers to test the technology. “At Storm Show Studios [http://www.stormshow.com/], our films are not only about skiing the lines. They capture the thrill and the aftermath, that feeling of accomplishment,” said Darrell Miller, filmmaker and advisor to Falkor Systems. “Falkor’s technology will let us film up close and personal with our athletes, filming from angles we could not have conceived of before, angles not possible even from helicopters.”
“At antigravityBASE [http://shop.antigravitybase.com/] we are always looking for technology that will let us film BASE jumping in new, compelling ways,” said Matt Frohlich. “Although people are already filming BASE with micro aerial vehicles, no one yet is able to film autonomously, with the craft tracking the athlete. Autonomous tracking will let us create a very intimate connection between the viewer and the athlete.”
Dance Dance Robot Revolution
“Awesomely advanced robotics are the future, and we think their potential is very human,” Parekh explains. While many current firms are focused on reaching the hobbyist market, Falkor Systems will sell an out-of-the-box model concept that will be ready to fly — no tinkering required. “We like cool stuff, and we like to build it,” adds Parekh. The company is well-connected to the cutting-edge in academic robotics research, counting top researchers in vision, aerial robotics, and multimedia among its advisory board
Parekh has demonstrated Falkor’s cutting-edge tracking technology at TEDxSiliconAlley [http://falkorsystems.com/2020/03/08/falkor-tedx-video-available-2/] and Maker Faire. Recently, Falkor Systems collaborated with dancers from the Barkin/Selissen Project [http://www.barkinselissenproject.com/] in a short film that showcases the evolution of the human-robot relationship happening right before our eyes. In this film, the robot flies autonomously, dancing with its human partners, but without a human pilot. Take a look: [http://falkorsystems.com/2020/03/11/pet-drone-pas-de-deux-teaser/]
“Working with Falkor’s robot pet during the dance film shoot opened our eyes to the possibilities this technology holds,” said Kyla Barkin. “A robot that flies autonomously is a perfect vessel for the expansion of our ideas and our ability to achieve our evolving artistic vision.”
Founded in 2012 and based in New York City, Falkor Systems [http://falkorsystems.com/] will provide a next-generation companion for anyone who wants to reach beyond our horizons. Their technology follows your imagination everywhere on film, whether you’re facing the perilous terrains of extreme sports or capturing the delicate gestures of an intimate performance piece. Falkor’s autonomous flying robots represent freedom and flexibility that allows us to see what’s in front of us and imagine what’s ahead.
CONTACT
[email protected]
Kaila Hale-Stern
+1 917 648 6892
34 35th St #18
Brooklyn, NY 11232
Falkor @ TEDx: Watch the Video!
We’ve been talking about the future, but now it’s time to see it: Our presentation and demonstration from TEDxSiliconAlley is now on-line. Take a few minutes to learn about Falkor System’s vision for flying robots and watch as our pet drone Ary autonomously dances with Sophia. It’s showtime!
Thanks again to everyone at TEDxSiliconAlley that gave us this opportunity to share Falkor Systems with the world.
Jackson Hole: Go West, Falkor!
This week I traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and introduced the robot to some extreme sport film production companies for potential collaboration.
Traveling with a robot companion means no worries about disturbing other passengers with barking, but it’s not without its challenges. Dogs have crates and this robot does, too: It’s only a few pounds, but packing it into a Pelican Case added a lot of weight. We were over the airline’s fifty-pound limit by ten pounds!
Still praying for snow…
FALKOR
Falkor @ TEDx: Showtime
We were recently invited to discuss the future of autonomous robot companions and demonstrate the possibilities at TEDx, an independently organized TED event in NYC’s Silicon Alley. Public speaking is fine by us, but this would be Falkor’s stage debut!
Like any performance, our star required a rehearsal. We held ours in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park with our leading lady, Sophie. Check out the movie below:
We thought the TEDx audience would be as excited as we were to see the future in action. We spoke about the roles of intelligent robots and the untapped potential for creative and recreational freedom.
Then it was time for these thoughts to take flight. Here are some pics:
Watching the robot follow the leader, we shared in the enthusiasm of the audience. A big thank you to TEDx for putting on an enlightening evening, our leading lady and, of course our robot friend.
If you’re technically inclined, you can run the autonomous tracker we demonstrated at TEDx yourself! Get the software here: https://github.com/FalkorSystems/falkor_ardrone
We’ll post a video of the talk when we have it-in the meantime, enjoy this brief video discussion about man’s new best friend with Waywire:
Falkor
Falkor Systems demonstrates AR.Drone pet robot at Flying Robots NYC Meetup
We are sponsors of the Flying Robots NYC Meetup, which held its inaugural competition this past Saturday. Unfortunately not very many people took part in the competition, but a good group of flying robot enthusiasts were in attendance, and we showed off recent improvements to the AR.Drone pet robot demonstration that debuted at Maker Faire about a month ago.
Falkor Systems demonstrates object tracking at Maker Faire
At Maker Faire we joined Chris Anderson from 3DRobotics for his “Drones!” talk and demonstrated a Parrot AR.Drone employing computer vision techniques to track a volunteer from the audience.
Flying Robots NYC Meetup Group Announces Inaugural Flying Robot Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flying Robots NYC Meetup Group Announces Inaugural Flying Robot Competition
Sponsors include 3DRobotics, Adafruit, Falkor Systems, and xCubicle
New York, NY - 6 Sep 2020
The Flying Robots NYC meetup group today announced the inaugural Flying Robots NYC competition, to be held in Brooklyn on October 20th. The Flying Robots NYC competition is a project of the Flying Robots NYC Meetup group in order to promote the development of low-cost consumer-accessible flying robot technology. The contest will be held at the Radio Control Society of Marine Park’s field in Marine Park, Brooklyn. Winning contestants will receive valuable prizes provided by the event sponsors.
During the contest competitors will test their flying robots along a number of varied dimensions. Robots will compete on their ability to carry heavy objects and stay aloft for long periods of time. Competitors will also test their ability to build robots that can fly autonomously, sometimes using satellite-based navigation and other times navigating using machine vision technology.
“Competitions are a great way to build local community around new technology,” said Chris Anderson, founder of 3DRobotics, the primary sponsor of the competition, “so we are happy to support the Flying Robots NYC competition.” The first place competitor will receive an open source autopilot system courtesy of 3DRobotics.
“Then open source hardware movement has made flying robot technology accessible to everyone, not just the police and military,” said Sameer Parekh, C.E.O. of group sponsor Falkor Systems, Inc. “This technology has the potential to change the way we live and enrich our lives. Over the next few years more and more people will develop flying robot technology, and they will deploy many robots in commercial applications.”
The Flying Robots NYC group draws extensively from supporters in the local electronics technology community, including support from local sponsors such as Adafruit and xCubicle. Adafruit has offered discounts on their entire catalog to members of the Flying Robots NYC community, and xCubicle has been providing meeting space for group members to meet, plan, and get to know one another.
About 3DRobotics
3DRobotics is the leading vendor of Ardupilot hardware and related accessories. 3DRobotics has already shipped more than 10,000 autopilots. By their estimates, 3D Robotics’ customers are flying more drones than the total number operated by the US military.
About Adafruit
Adafruit was founded in 2005 by MIT engineer, Limor “Ladyada” Fried. Her goal was to create the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels. Since then Adafruit has grown to over 25 employees in the heart of New York City. Adafruit has expanded their offerings to include tools and equipment that Limor personally selects, tests and approves. Adafruit has one of the largest collections of free electronics tutorials, open-source hardware and software to help educate and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
About Falkor Systems
Falkor Systems, Inc. is an early-stage startup developing autonomous flying robots for the commercial market. The company’s founder / CEO is a successful entrepreneur whose first company developed a pioneering product development strategy which led the United States government to substantially restructure its technology export control policy. The company eventually sold to Red Hat, Inc.
About xCubicle:
xCubicle is a tech shop by day and a hackerspace by night. Conveniently located in Manhattan, they cater to the tech meetup community and host innovative talks in small group settings.
Links:
- Flying Robots NYC: http://flyingrobotsnyc.com/
- Adafruit: http://www.adafruit.com/about/
- 3DRobotics: http://store.diydrones.com/
- Falkor Systems: http://falkorsystems.com/
- xCubicle: http://www.xcubicle.com/
Contact:
Sameer Parekh
press -at- falkorsystems.com
34 35th St
Brooklyn, NY 11232
+1 480 225 1624
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