MikroKopter

{{Short description|German UAV manufacturer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Use British English|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox company | name = MikroKopter | logo = File:Mikrokopter Logo 2014.png | caption = | type = Privately held company | traded_as = | genre =  | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation =  | founder = | defunct =  | location_city = Moormerland, Leer, Lower Saxony | location_country = Germany | location = | locations = | area_served = | key_people = | industry = Aerospace | products = Miniature UAVs | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = {{URL|www.mikrokopter.de/en/home}} | footnotes = | intl = }} thumb|MikroKopter in flight thumb|View of Sydney Harbour taken by MikroKopter '''MikroKopter''' is a German company, a subsidiary of '''HiSystems GmbH''', that manufactures battery-powered radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles. The company is located in Moormerland, Leer District, in Lower Saxony.

==History== Started in 2006, by Holger Buss and Ingo Busker, MikroKopter used a team of pilots to develop within 6 months a platform with great stability, manoeuvrability and powerful enough to lift a payload of several kilograms. Further developments, which incorporated an onboard GPS, piezo gyroscope, an acceleration sensor and a barometric sensor for altitude control, made autonomous flight possible and improved manoeuvrability.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/Mikrokopter-Get-started |title=en/Mikrokopter-Get-started - Wiki |publisher=MikroKopter.de |date=2006-10-24 |accessdate=2014-01-27}}</ref>

==Products== MikroKopter produce various multi-rotor models such as QuadroKopter (a quadcopter), HexaKopter and OktoKopter. The design lends itself to computer control and robotics researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a program to control swarms of what they term 'Nano Quadrotors'. CCTV cameras provide feedback on position to the controlling computer, permitting complex manoeuvres that include tumbling.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/02/flying-robots-nano-quadrotor-drones-swarm_n_1249442.html Huffington Post - Nano Quadrotor Drones]</ref>

Parent HiSystems GmbH has developed a built-in LEA-6S GPS receiver, u-blox’ highest-performance GPS module for MikroKopter aircraft that allows precision positioning for photography and other applications.<ref>[http://www.u-blox.com/en/press-and-events/press-release-archive/1197-mikrokopter-captures-precision-photos-and-videos-using-u-blox-gps.html MikroKopter captures precision photos and videos] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023195918/http://www.u-blox.com/en/press-and-events/press-release-archive/1197-mikrokopter-captures-precision-photos-and-videos-using-u-blox-gps.html |date=2011-10-23 }}</ref>

==Operational use== In February 2012 an animal rights group used a MikroKopter to film hunters shooting pigeons in South Carolina. The hunters shot the drone down.<ref>Zimmerman, Dan (18 February 2013) [http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/02/daniel-zimmerman/shark-loses-drone-over-south-carolina/ Hunters Shoot SHARK Drone Over South Carolina] The Truth about Guns, Retrieved 5 February 2013</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2024}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.mikrokopter.de}}

Category:Companies based in Lower Saxony Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers of Germany Category:Helicopter manufacturers of Germany Category:German brands