Drones have given photographers and videographers the ability to capture shots that once required a helicopter pilot, and now French outfit Drone Volt appears to have taken things to the next level. The company's Janus 360 drone boasts two heads to carry a total of 10 cameras in order to capture obstruction-free, 360-degree 3D video for use in virtual reality content production.
The concept is not to be confused with drones we've seen that can be controlled via a VR headset. Rather, the Janus 360 is like a flying version of GoPro's Omni, a six-camera, 360-degree VR video recorder.
Actually, it's more like strapping two GoPro Omnis to a drone. The Janus 360 is equipped with two heads, each carrying five 4K GoPro cameras to cover all angles of a scene.
"One of the major strengths of our model is the ability to shoot in the air at 360° without any elements of the drone, such as propellers or landing gear appearing in the image," explains Drone Volt President Dimitri Batsisis.
You wont be able to film your feature-length immersive VR experience in one go with the Janus 360, though, as each charge of the drone's battery pack will get you about 15 minutes of flight time. The package also comes equipped to capture 150 GB of images per flight and can stream live HD video to the ground.
The frame measures 500 x 500 x 400 mm (20 x 20 x 16 in) and weighs 600 g (1.3 lb). Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
The video below shows the Janus 360 in action, while a sample of 360-degree video captured with the Janus 360 can be viewed here.
Source: Drone Volt
