# An Interview with Chris Anderson - Deambulatory Daedal Drones

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2012-07-23
- Length: 1h 31m
- Episode: 105
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-105-deambulatory-daedal-drones/

## Summary

Chris Anderson, founder of DIY Drones and co-founder of 3D Robotics, discusses the evolution of the maker movement, open-source hardware, and the challenges of scaling a hardware business. He details 3D Robotics' transition from hand-soldering to operating its own pick-and-place lines in San Diego and Tijuana to maintain flexibility and rapid iteration. Anderson also shares his philosophy on managing open-source communities, dealing with Chinese clones, and the future of autonomous UAVs, including navigation without GPS using sonar and optical flow.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=0) Introduction and Background
- [11:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=684) The Pit of Despair in Open Source
- [16:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=969) Managing Open Source Communities and Clones
- [28:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=1681) In-House Manufacturing Strategy
- [39:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=2343) Crowdfunding and Business Models
- [45:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=2745) UAV Regulations and Safety
- [51:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=3091) Hardware Architecture and Future Tech
- [59:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=3562) Autonomous Navigation and Canyon Flying
- [1:12:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2012-07-23-an-interview-with-chris-anderson-deambulatory-daedal-drones#t=4326) The Maker Movement and Media Future

## Topics

- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- DIY Drones (company)
- 3D Robotics (company)
- Wired Magazine (company)
- MakerBot (company)
- Arduino (other)
- SparkFun (company)
- Good Luck Buys (company)
- Hope RF (chip)
- APM 2.5 (product)
- Parrot AR Drone (product)
- Geek Dad (product)
- Makers: The New Industrial Revolution (product)
- The Long Tail (product)
- Free (product)
- ManCorp (other)
- Advanced Circuits (company)
- DigiKey (company)
- InvenSense (company)
- Atmel (company)
- Parallax (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Skydio CEO Adam Bry explores how autonomy and AI are reshaping drones; what happened after a Waymo killed a cat; revisiting the history of civilian drones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-11-11-skydio-ceo-adam-bry-explores-how-autonomy-and-ai-are-reshaping-drones-what-happe) (Go/No-Go)
- [Episode 109: Building robots at home - Dan Nicholson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-14-episode-109-building-robots-at-home-dan-nicholson) (Robot Talk)
- [#020: The Hidden Architecture of Autonomy: How Skydio Drones Think, See, and Connect](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2026-01-29-020-the-hidden-architecture-of-autonomy-how-skydio-drones-think-see-and-connect) (Coredump Sessions)
- [Ep. 20 | Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO & Co-founder of Hello Robot and Former Head of Robotics at Google on Humanity in Robots](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-03-18-ep-20-dr-aaron-edsinger-ceo-co-founder-of-hello-robot-and-former-head-of-robotic) (Moore's Lobby)
- [18-Year-Old Founder: Why America Needs Its Own Drone Industry](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-31-18-year-old-founder-why-america-needs-its-own-drone-industry) (OnTrack)

## Citing this page

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