The best camera drone yet?

[landslave the 2nd]

Ok thanks

 

[Daniel]

Got a link through from lily today offering $50 off, they've increased the price since the initial run but still a good saving, and I get cashback off my order too! [emoji6]

http://camera.us10.list-manage.com/...b859325e93605d7960&id=3ec972ec6b&e=faa4442e64

 

[Clive]

Got a link through from lily today offering $50 off, they've increased the price since the initial run but still a good saving, and I get cashback off my order too! [emoji6]

http://camera.us10.list-manage.com/...b859325e93605d7960&id=3ec972ec6b&e=faa4442e64

would it keep up with a race car do you think ? they look a great idea

 

[Daniel]

would it keep up with a race car do you think ? they look a great idea

I'll tell you in February! I doubt it though, 4 little motors aren't going to be able to develop enough power? The laws of physics can't be broken!

 

[db9go]

would it keep up with a race car do you think ? they look a great idea

Depends how fast the car is going

 

[dontknowanything]

would it keep up with a race car do you think ? they look a great idea

I'm sure it will be fine when you're parked in the gravel

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Greetings from Lily HQ! This week, we’re excited to deliver a manufacturing update. As we mentioned last month, back in May we teamed up with a world-class Chinese manufacturing partner to build the Lily Camera at scale. We also hired a full-time team, pictured below, to closely manage our production line. This team is comprised of seasoned veterans who have built cameras together for the past fifteen years at companies such as Cisco, Dropcam, FLIP, and Nest/Google. We recently opened a Lily China office and our team there has been hard at work on your pre-orders ever since.​

From left to right: Osmond (Director of Manufacturing Engineering), Wes (Quality Engineering Manager), Harry (Supply Chain and Materials Manager), Mike (Sr. Technical Program Manager), Doug (Chief Manufacturing Officer), Can Ming (Sr. Director of Asia Operations), Andrea (Technical Project Manager), Jerry (Supply Chain and Materials Engineer)
Over the course of the past several months, we have been refining our designs to ensure they are built at the highest standards of quality. In addition to these refinements, we have undertaken three major projects to expedite production.

First, we conducted a series of reliability tests: structural integrity analysis, drop tests, waterproofing jet tests, heat dissipation verification, sensor signal calibration, motor efficiency tests, propeller balancing, and embedded software simulation. These tests and simulations enabled us to achieve full product validation, but also led us to realize significant product improvements. We revamped the internal structure yielding a significant increase in strength, redesigned Lily’s propellers to improve flight
stability, and sourced new motors with higher power efficiency.

Wes holding one of our test units.
Second, we got our production line locked and loaded. This included defining and validating the assembly line process, training employees to operate the line, inspecting all test routines, and streamlining the entire system for efficient unit turnaround.

Third, we created and validated all manufacturing tools and assemblies needed to build the Lily Camera. This involved cutting the steel tools needed to produce Lily’s plastic and rubber parts using injection molding, as well as setting up and testing the machines that create all the custom metal pieces of Lily.

With these milestones complete, we are proud to announce that we produced the first units off the production line this week! Every step of the line has undergone rigorous testing, and we are ready to proceed with next steps.

First unit off the production line! The housing is giving off that sheen in the image because the unit hadn't been textured yet. Additionally, the color of the propeller hub will be updated.

Back view.
What’s next?

On the hardware side, the Lily China team is preparing to ramp up production. Meanwhile, at Lily HQ in San Francisco, our engineering team is working day and night to test software, firmware, and image quality on the first units coming off the line. Look out for a more detailed update on this process in the coming weeks.

We have several important milestones to hit between now and shipping in order to deliver a truly magical user experience. We are committed to communicating our engineering and manufacturing progress with as much transparency as possible.

Thank you so much for your continued support. Building a product at scale is hard. Building a flying camera at scale is even harder. We’re so thankful to have you on this journey with us.

Stay tuned!

-Team Lily

 

[Darren]

Wasn't there something on the radio about these? Sure the main man had left and he had all the ideas

 

[Exfarmer]

Before you splash out too much money, be aware 2 drone makers have already been here, done that and disappeared without trace, before delivering the goods.
There was a report I think in the Telegraph last week

The Phantom 3 is proven technology.
Be aware purchasing if camera is included in the package, which I think is the main difference Phantom 2 and 3 have

 

[Greenbeast]

Wasn't there something on the radio about these? Sure the main man had left and he had all the ideas

Do you mean the Zano kickstarter that failed to produce?

 

[Darren]

Do you mean the Zano kickstarter that failed to produce?

Something like that. Recall hearing it. Wasn't sure if it was the same party

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

This weeks update from Lily...

Let’s talk about your tracking device. In our launch video, kayaker Sage Donnelly is shown locking the device into a handy waterproof case to keep it safe from the splash zone. But that was last spring. As we continued to refine the technology behind Lily’s wearable companion, we decided that water resistance wouldn’t cut it for the active lifestyles of our community.

That’s why we decided to waterproof the tracking device itself. Using ultrasonic welding, we developed a waterproof membrane to protect every inch of the tracker. The microphone, sensors, and micro USB connector are all protected by this membrane. At a rating of IP67, this means that your tracking device can withstand immersion in water up to one meter deep.

In addition to waterproofing, we shrunk the size of the tracker itself. Below on the left is our original device model, the one you saw in our video. On the right, meet our new tracker: optimized to move with you on any adventure you pursue.

The new design is 10% thinner, 15% smaller in diameter, and has a 26% reduction in surface area. We're excited about the refinements our team has made on the tracker as we scale to production.

As promised, we'll continue to keep you as updated as possible on the latest manufacturing and engineering progress. If there are any specific elements of our progress that you'd love to hear more about, don't hesitate to send us a note.

Until next week,

-Team Lily

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Dear Lily Community,

Over the past few weeks, we’ve delivered several engineering and manufacturing updates to your inbox. If you have been following along, you already know that we’ve redesigned the tracker, set up and tested our production line, and recorded video using the first units off the line.

Right now, our team is working relentlessly on Lily Camera’s flight control software. We’ve hit some challenges there, but rest assured, it’s nothing our team can’t handle. We just need more time. To accommodate flight software optimization, hardware improvements, and additional rounds of testing, we will be delaying pre-order shipments until Summer 2016. This was not a decision taken lightly. The key elements that led us to adjust our production timeline are outlined below:
We hit roadblocks with our flight software. After launching our pre-order campaign, component optimizations required us to redesign core parts of our flight software to achieve smoother and more stable flight. This turned out to be a larger undertaking than expected. Due to the enhancements we made, Lily Camera now has more stable and responsive flight capabilities.

We made important modifications to Lily Camera hardware. First, we added a waterproof sonar sensor for flight stability. Second, we upgraded our computer vision processing unit to enhance tracking performance. Third, Lily Camera’s internal structure was redesigned to reduce weight and increase strength.

We need more time for testing. We have produced a total of 200 units so far and our team has started taking these out into the world. In order to thoroughly test the software and hardware updates we’ve developed over the past few months, we need to test Lily Camera in the most extreme conditions your adventures will take it. This includes (but is not limited to) high altitudes, breakneck speeds, rough and tumble waves, and beyond.
Lily is now 37 individuals strong and we are confident about the solutions our crew has put in place to address each of the issues listed above. We believe all of these changes are significant and it is our responsibility to not overlook them. Perfecting your Lily experience is our number one priority, always.

In the interest of transparency, we’d also like to shed some light on our financials. Some of you have asked about the status of your pre-order funds. As you may know, we are a privately funded company, not a crowd-funded project. This means that we are not using your money to run the company. Every pre-order dollar we’ve received has been placed in cold storage. We have no plans to use a single cent of that money until your Lily Camera goes into final production.

So how are we handling 37 salaries, operational costs, and R&D?

Today, we’re pleased to share that we have secured a total of 15 million dollars in private funding. Our investors include Spark Capital, SV Angel, the Stanford-StartX Fund, as well as musician Steve Aoki and football legend Joe Montana. Read more details here. We are very fortunate to have the support of this incredible group of people. This backing allows us to progress toward our ship date, expand the team as needed, and remain laser-focused on delivering a state of the art flying camera to you in Summer 2016.

As our engineering team continues to tackle interesting challenges, we want you to have the highest level of visibility on our day-to-day progress. That’s why we’ve decided to post daily updates straight from the team, right here. If at any point you would like to learn more about these updates, send a note over to Customer Experience at [email protected].

As always, we can provide you with a full refund anytime from the moment you purchase your Lily Camera until 30 days after your order arrives, no questions asked. Just email us with your order number and the email address you used to place your order, and you’ll be all set.

With that said, we hope each and every one of you remains on this journey with us. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,
Antoine and Henry

Copyright © 2015 Lily, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email as you signed up on www.lily.camera

 

[Daniel]

I had an email yesterday saying these will now be delayed until the summer!

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

I had an email yesterday saying these will now be delayed until the summer!

Post above yours, second paragraph in bold. Better late and they release a properly tested, fully-baked product than something that's not quite right, that we'll all say didn't live up to expectations.

I think they're being quite transparent about the whole design and production process.

 

[Daniel]

Post above yours, second paragraph in bold. Better late and they release a properly tested, fully-baked product than something that's not quite right, that we'll all say didn't live up to expectations.

I think they're being quite transparent about the whole design and production process.

Ah yes, must read threads fully!

I'm quite happy with it as well, regular updates and it was never going to be simple to put a hand made prototype into mass production. I won't be cancelling.

 

[Mark C]

Must admit I wasn't surprised when I had my email too. Just hope they do ship them in the summer

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Back in December, we gave you a glimpse of the tracker that will help your Lily Camera find you when it hits the skies. This waterproof device is designed to move with you, whatever your adventures may bring. We recommend that you stow the tracker anywhere within arm's reach during your Lily Camera's flight, but for a truly hands-free experience, you'll want to use the wristband.

As you may recall from our launch video, the tracker originally sat in a clear plastic case which attached to a basic strap. We ditched the bulky exterior of our prototype for a slick waterproof membrane and optimized the tracker's dimensions for lightweight portability. With these changes, our wristband required a design overhaul too.

Our redesign called for important ergonomic refinements. The wearable needed to be comfortable, durable, and 100% resilient to the elements. It was also crucial to us that the tracker felt as light as possible when placed within the band. No one wants to feel like they're lugging a computer around their wrist while setting a personal record out on the trail!

The new wristband is double injection molded out of silicon and polyamide. These materials work with the inner frame and tracker alignment feature to securely hold the device in place as you wear it.

Once we got a fleet of wristbands back from our manufacturing crew, Team Lily rallied to put the new design to the test. Swimming, rock climbing, cycling, hiking, running, dancing -- we put the wearable through the ringer. We're pleased report all wristbands survived the rigor.

We'll be back next week with the latest. Until then, check out our daily updates and have a magnificent weekend. Soak it up!

-Team Lily

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

View attachment agallery.mailchimp.com_225b492b859325e93605d7960_images_dc63a5aa_3aa6_4f19_a020_d085ef96dc0b.jpg​

Building a comfortable Lily experience is a big priority for us. That mindset pours straight into our product design. We've received countless emails from you about what you'd like to see from us to support a safe Lily experience, and we've taken each suggestion very seriously. A common refrain from the Lily Community has been the desire for prop guards -- a lightweight layer of protection to strap onto your Lily Camera for instances in which you'd like to take that extra precautionary step.

Ask and you shall receive! We're excited to announce that prop guards will be one of the items available in our accessories store, which will go live as we get closer to launch. More on the store soon. For now, we'd like to focus on your prop guard.

Prototype Engineer Ying Chen played a heavy hand in this project. With the design for our waterproof motor already set in stone, the prop guard was designed to perfectly complement the motor's structure. Ying drafted nearly 50 different possible designs for the prop guard.

After conducting extensive endurance tests of about 20 3D printed prototypes, we arrived upon the version you see above. Ying's final design is incredibly lightweight and portable, but the best part is that it does not require any additional tool to attach or detach. The simple latch on the prop guard itself locks right onto the motor mount. This will allow you to easily add or ditch the prop guards while on the go.

We're excited to bring you more accessories like this in the coming months. If you have any special requests, don't hesitate to email them in!

A few of you wrote in with some questions about the test footage we released last week. As you know, our door is always open to any inquiries about Lily Beta -- we thought we'd address a few of those here.

The test footage you see from the untuned camera in this unit is not representative of what we are shipping this summer. The unit used during last weekend's session was intended to test specific tracking and landing protocols.

Known issues visible in this video are as follows:

• Visible compression artifacts
• Stabilization
• Framing

Lily Engineering is working tirelessly to tune and refine image quality. As we continue to make software updates, we'll continue to release footage so you can see these improvements first-hand before you receive your Lily Camera this summer. As always, our Customer Service team is happy to answer any additional questions you may have about test footage we ship out. Just shoot them a note at [email protected].

Lots of good tests on the docket for our weekend flights -- we'll keep you posted on the latest!

-Team Lily

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Will this still be the best? Haven't all the in production drones moved on so much in this time?