3D Robotics

Lore & Background

3DR was co-founded as 3D Robotics in 2009 by Chris Anderson and Jordi Muñoz, who met online through the DIY Drones community, which Anderson originally started for aerial vehicle enthusiasts. Prior to 2016, the company designed and marketed commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles, including consumer drones, ready-to-fly quadcopters for aerial photography and mapping, and fixed-wing UAVs based on the Ardupilot platform. However, as of September 2016, 3DR and the major open source Ardupilot development community separated due to disagreements over the license of the open source code on which 3DR products are based.

The company released several notable products: the Solo Drone (May 2015) marketed to consumer and professional aerial photography, powered by two computers and designed for the GoPro Hero camera; the IRIS+ Drone (September 2014) with a top speed of 40 miles per hour and range up to 3,280 feet; the X8 Quadcopter (November 2014) in two versions for aerial photography and mapping; and the Aero-M Fixed Wing UAV (November 2014) with up to 40 minutes flight time and ability to photograph 250 acres per flight. As of March 2016, 3DR announced it would no longer be manufacturing drones. An anonymous former employee interviewed in Forbes magazine in 2016 said '3DR was a $100 million blunder based on ineptitude.'

Reader's Guide

3DR's significance lies in its transition from a prominent drone hardware manufacturer to a software-focused enterprise, and its role in the open-source UAV ecosystem. The company was a founding member of the Dronecode Consortium in 2014, a non-profit organization governed by the Linux Foundation, alongside Intel, Qualcomm, Parrot SA, and Walkera, aiming to use open source Linux for affordable and more reliable UAV software. Its hardware legacy includes the Solo, IRIS+, X8, and Aero-M drones, which targeted consumer, professional, and mapping markets. However, the company's decision to cease drone manufacturing in March 2016 marked a major shift, and the subsequent separation from the Ardupilot community in September 2016 over licensing disagreements highlighted tensions in open-source development. The anonymous former employee's characterization of the hardware venture as a '$100 million blunder' underscores the financial challenges the company faced. Today, 3DR focuses on enterprise drone software for construction, engineering, mining, and government clients, representing a pivot from its origins as a consumer and commercial drone maker.

Did You Know?

• The Solo Drone, released in May 2015, was powered by two computers and designed specifically for the GoPro Hero camera.
• The Aero-M Fixed Wing UAV had an estimated flight time of up to 40 minutes and could photograph up to 250 acres per flight.
• 3DR was a founding member of the Dronecode Consortium, formed in 2014 under the Linux Foundation.