FLY YOUR DRONE WITH GEAR VR FPV

My first VR headset was a Cardboard made from a Coca-Cola box and my first drone was a Hubsan X4. After experiencing both separately, it didn't take long before I wanted to combine the two technologies and fly a done using a VR headset for a first person view (FPV). Unfortunately, I am limited by my lack of android programming skills and by my budget.With a little research I found that with a little money I could make it happen.

My Hubsan X4 has a camera, but it doesn't have a way to transmit the video live. Since it also doesn't have the lift to carry the necessary hardware to add a transmitter, I knew I would need to upgrade my drone. After shopping around I settled on the MJX400. This drone had the live wifi transmitter I was looking for, with an android compatible app to view and record the live video, in side by side format, and all for a price I could deal with. $79.99 on Amazon for the DBPOWER MJX X400W FPV Drone with Wifi Camera Live Video

When I upgraded to the MJX400 I learned you need to register with the FAA, to pilot a drone weighing over .5 lbs.

In the pictures above, I am running the MJX FPV app on my phone, which is mounted on the RC transmitter. You can also see the MJX400 drone's size next to my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The most current MJX FPV app is not available in the Google Play app store, so in order to get this working I needed to download the app from the drone manufacturer's website.
​http://www.mjxtoys.com/down/70.html

Since the app wasn't downloaded from the Play app store, I had to change my security settings to allow installation of apps from unknown sources. The app runs good on my Note 5 and on my older S5. when the drone is powered on, it creates a wifi access point. Before starting the app, go to wifi settings and find the MJX wifi access point and connect. Once the phone connects to the MJX wifi you can startup the MJX FPV app. Then press monitor and you should see the live video. Finally, by pressing the 3D button the video stream is spit into a side by side view, for use in a VR headset.

This setup will work with a Google Cardboard or compatible VR headset. But for the best image quality from a mobile VR headset, it's hard to beat the Samsung Gear VR headset. Since the MJX FPV app is not setup for the Oculus mobile SDK, the Oculus service needs to be disabled, so that you can run the MJX FPV app from inside the Gear VR. For instructions on disabling the Oculus service, See my previous post.
​http://www.divideworks.com/projects/hack-your-gear-vr

With the Oculus service disabled, running the app, on the Gear VR, is the same as running it for Cardboard. Connect to the drone's wifi, startup the app and press monitor. when you have a lived video feed, press the 3D button to view in side by side VR mode. since there is only one camera, the FPV image is not 3D and the resolution isn't great, but you can see a live video feed, using your Gear VR, while you pilot a drone!
unfortunately, the MJX FPV app does not have a setting to adjust the display, to suit your headset. The result is that the Gear VR lenses zoom in on the image, providing a narrow field of view. I've found I get the best image, using a $15 Cardboard ready headset, from Walmart.