New Underwater Drone Promises 4K VR Fun on Kickstarter
Underwater drones, both commercial and consumer, are promising more and more in the way of diving depth, camera resolution and lighting. But underwater drones also struggle with added challenges of staying waterproof, while recording stable video and remaining in range of wifi to stream images and data.
A new startup is now surging ahead on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter under the moniker of Nemo, named after the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo famous for exploring the depths of the ocean in his novel ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’.
This new entry to the consumer underwater drone market offers the video enthusiast the opportunity to continue their adventures from the shore to under the ocean.
The team, Aquarobotman – yes, that is what they are called – say that Nemo will raise the bar for consumer-level aquatic exploration, bringing the capability to capture amazing still photos and videos in brilliant ultra-high definition 4K. Able to dive down to 100 metres, it carries 2 sets of 4 LED fill lights to clearly illuminate sea creatures and coral, showing them in all their vivid colours.
Don’t want to get your feet wet? Nemo brings the undersea world to you via “an immersive virtual reality experience achieved by using VR goggles”.
The only other underwater drone, that we are aware of, offering the ability to ‘see’ firsthand what your drone is viewing using VR goggles is the PowerRay tethered drone, designed mainly with the fishing community in mind. In comparison, Nemo gives the owner a real-time VR untethered freedom not previously available.
And while there are other underwater drones being released on the market with similar camera and lighting capabilities, the Nemo rises above its competitors with its 4 tandem thruster design and a patented QAS-balance system.
“The increased stability and control makes images and video more clear and in-focus,” the company said in a press release.
“As enthusiasts ourselves, we loved the idea of underwater drones and the ability to film in high definition. We quickly realized that a great camera is only part of the solution. The drone must also be capable of excellent underwater stability, something that was lacking in other devices,” said Peng Hou, Nemo CEO.
In addition to the unprecedented stability, the Nemo also comes with a quick change battery, meaning any underwater mission can be prolonged as long as a couple of backup batteries are brought along.
This nifty aquatic drone has been created by engineering and photography experts, and “is a pro-quality, full-featured remote underwater drone that is priced perfectly for the consumer market. It sets new standards for stability, ease of use and video quality. With Nemo, the entire underwater world can be explored by anyone,” say the Aquarobotman team.
Nemo launches on Kickstarter on May 3, 2018 with special pricing and bonuses for early users. See campaign HERE.
