Video summary
At Xponential 2026, Unusual Machines has set up a massive forty-foot by twenty-foot flying cage to move beyond static displays and showcase drones in actual flight within the building's vast space. This specialized facility is equipped with two large TV screens on either side for displaying FPV feeds or presentations, along with a public address system designed to alert everyone when a drone becomes airborne amidst the echoing acoustics of the venue. Beyond just providing room for flight demonstrations, this setup allows customers to test their own American-made drone components in a realistic environment that simulates real-world conditions rather than leaving them sitting on tables.
The video highlights several cutting-edge technologies, starting with Power Us's Guardian 1, a combat-proven counter-UAS interceptor system originally developed for use in Ukraine against Shahed drones and other high-cost threats. Unlike theoretical proposals or PowerPoint presentations, this drone has successfully performed hundreds of intercepts to prevent ground explosions by identifying targets mid-air and neutralizing them efficiently. The demonstration showed that the platform is powerful enough to hover effectively despite limited space within the cage, proving its viability as a cost-effective solution where traditional interception methods might otherwise require spending ten times more money for each engagement.
Another major focus was HP's drone team showcasing their Multi Jet Fusion technology, which creates rigid frames using nylon powder and ink-based agents rather than carbon fiber or standard FDM printing processes. This manufacturing method allows computer-aided design to automatically optimize structural stiffness based on specific requirements like motor placement, resulting in incredibly durable components that can withstand significant stress without the brittleness often associated with additive manufacturing. The presenter even took a zero-carbon printed frame for freestyle testing inside the cage, noting its surprising rigidity and ability to perform complex maneuvers while being controlled by an operator who had never flown a drone before.
The experience concluded with demonstrations of advanced flight control systems that allow operators to simply turn their heads or move their bodies to direct the drone's movement through independent views and manual orientation wheels. These intuitive interfaces enabled complete novices to take full control within minutes, flying smoothly up, down, and around obstacles while maintaining stability on a two-cell battery pack. The presenter emphasized how these innovations make professional-grade piloting accessible to anyone regardless of prior experience, transforming the learning curve from years of training into just a few moments inside the demonstration cage before inviting viewers to ask further questions in the comments section.
Read the full video transcript
All these new drone technology events
and you only get to see the drone
sitting on a table.
We want to see it fly, so we built a big
cage.
>> [music]
[music]
>> That's our Unusual Machines drone flying
cage. It is 40 ft by 20 ft by 23 ft
tall. So, you know, at Unusual Machines
we make uh American-made drone
components. We built this so that our
customers can demo their drones here at
Xponential.
So, besides the cage, we have [music]
two TV screens on either side. They will
be able to put up their FPV feed,
presentations. And then, if you can
squeeze through here,
we got a little PA system so that uh
everyone knows that the drone is flying.
We're going to put a picture up on
screen of how busy this place gets when
there's a drone flying because it just
echoes throughout the entire building.
Aside from the really big cage we built,
there is a lot of really awesome drone
technology here. So, today we're going
to walk you through some of my favorite
drones here at Xponential 2026.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Uh Power us was founded by a group that
was doing some work in the Ukraine, a
company that provides FPVs, drone
interceptors, and heavy lift drones to
the Department of War and international
partners.
>> So, the first one that we demoed was the
Guardian 1. It is a counter UAS UAS
system. So, currently over in the Middle
East, the cost to take out a UAS that's
attacking is very high.
>> And what they're having to send to take
it out is like 10x the cost of that.
>> Yeah, so financially, obviously, it
doesn't make much sense. So, they've
come out with the Guardian 1. It's the
interceptor. So, it is a counter UAS
system, which will identify a target,
meet in the sky, and you know, prevent
there being an on-ground [music]
explosion.
>> Yeah. The Guardian is special because it
is combat proven. It's got
you know, we say hundreds of intercepts
in the Ukraine against Shahed. So, this
isn't a PowerPoint presentation. This
isn't a proposal. This is stuff that's
been proven in combat. It's been refined
over years to make it even better. And
since we brought the technology here to
the US, we've even advanced it further
with
uh different levels of autonomy.
>> Yeah, so you flew it here for the demo.
How did it feel just hovering it?
>> It actually felt really good. It was
pretty powerful. It's a little
intimidating. It's not a lot of space
for how much power to rip around. But,
yeah, it was really cool.
>> The platform that you see flying in the
air right now is our Scorpion 500. That
is our indoor to outdoor or outdoor to
indoor system. We use a one-handed Mark
III controller, which is makes it
extremely easy for any operator of any
skill level
>> At this point in time, do I have any
volunteers who would actually like to
come in and fly one of our systems?
>> We got one right there.
>> There we go.
>> Hello.
>> Okay, guys. Um One of the few takeaways
that makes Xtreme unique is the ability
to train someone with no experience how
to fly these drones, right? Okay, so I'm
going to demonstrate Christine.
I'm going to show her a few controllers
on the on our platform, and then I'm
going to let her kind of have at it,
okay?
You can time me within
4 minutes, okay? And I'll explain that
to her, and she's going to have the
control the entire time.
>> [music]
>> Okay, you're facing that way, okay? Now,
you can let go now. [music]
Let go.
>> So, we have someone right now who has
never touched a drone before, and within
2 minutes they've handed her the
controller and she's operating a drone.
That's pretty impressive.
>> Up and like this?
>> Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just like that. And
then you can go up and down.
>> All the way up. All the way up.
>> Yeah, all the way down.
>> Oh, okay.
>> Okay.
And then some right now. Center your
state.
So, you know, give me a little bit of
trigger and go forward and around.
>> [music]
>> Look at the screen.
Go up a little bit.
Go up.
Okay. Now, slowly you give it a little
bit of trigger, and then you point
wherever you want to go.
>> Oh, okay.
>> Here we go.
>> Woah, woah, woah, woah.
Uh the controller I held was very
intuitive. It was very easy to control.
I just not being a first-time drone
pilot, I was unable to really get used
to the fact that you're looking at the
screen and then the drone is there
behind you.
Um but aside from that, I think after
maybe 5 more minutes I think I would
have been pretty good at flying it
around the cage today.
>> [music]
[music]
>> So I'm here with Aaron from HP the drone
team there. As far as the actual
creation of this, how is it made
different from you know carbon fiber we
use CNC, this is MJF printing?
>> Yes, this is multi jet fusion which is a
technology that HP has. And what we do
is we lay down a layer of powder, so
nylon powder, and then we bring our ink
technology which he's known for our
printers.
>> Yeah.
>> We use our ink technology or print head
technology and we lay down two different
agents, detailing agent and a fusing
agent. The fusing agent is going to be
black so it's going to be black on a
white powder. Okay. The black absorbs
the IR energy inside the printer and
melts the entire surface in one shot. So
what that does is it gives you strength
in all directions, X, Y, and Z. On a
frame like this it's really difficult to
drop print out on something like an FDM.
>> [music]
>> We've been showing this at so many drone
shows having never flown it in
unbelievable. That's awesome. I I do
have one question.
>> Sure.
>> You know, what did you guys like what
was your process into these lines and
like to make it so rigid?
>> So to basically just using the software
to help you design what your
requirements are trying to be. And so
uh
>> So it's a computer that designed this?
Like the client yeah.
>> me if this is a gross oversimplification
but I think it's like you you say we're
going to put the motors here, we're
going to put this thing here, computer
go, and it goes yes.
>> Yes.
>> Yes. And it creates that. And then you
can go in and tweak it but like it says
hey we need this stiffness
characteristic so okay it'll add a
little bit more here.
But here you Caleb this is for you. You
take that one. Thank you. You fly it
anytime.
>> I will. I will put this to your
freestyle testing.
>> Awesome. Yes.
>> I'll loop it.
>> Take lots of to lots of videos Caleb. I
want to see it man. Thank you.
>> Appreciate it. So good.
>> Thanks bro.
Aha, it works.
First time I've ever flown something
with no carbon.
>> Zero carbon at all.
>> Zero carbon.
>> It's pretty stiff, too.
>> Yeah, it sounds amazing.
>> [music]
>> All right, here. Put this around your
neck. Okay. The sensors are on, so
Sure to adjust [music] your your focus
here. And then you hold this to take
off.
So, to control it, you just move the
controller. You see the little white
circle in the middle of your screen?
Yeah. Okay, that's your indicator of
where the drone's going to fly. So,
right now, like if you just let go of
the stick,
you can you can you can turn any
direction and look without the drone
actually The drone will follow the
controller.
Yeah, just turn your head. Don't leave
the controller in that spot.
>> Oh, I want to try that.
>> Yeah.
>> I want to try that right now.
>> Two independent views. And now with
this, the wheel will manually orient the
drone.
>> 10 out of 10.
I can make myself sick. Someone give me
a spinny chair.
I can go Oh, this is so cool.
Okay, this is very cool. Oh, and I can
see behind me, too.
>> It gets a 2S battery?
>> Yeah.
>> What is happening?
>> That's insane.
>> What is happening?
>> It's insane.
>> Well, how is that 2S?
>> True. The future is magic.
>> is makes no sense.
>> Thank you guys so much for watching this
video. If you have any questions about,
you know, what we have going on here at
Museum Machines, drop [music] them down
in the comments below. We'll happy to
answer any of them. See you in the next
one.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Very exciting. Watch him engage.
>> Yeah, go run.
>> [screaming]