The gents over at HoverAir have 1-upped themselves, making an honest-to-goodness 100% waterproof autonomous consumer drone called the HoverAir Aqua. I've seen it in action, and I want to be first in line to get one.
If you've seen my take on the HoverAir X1 Promax, you already know that I'm a fan. It's tiny, it's smart, and it chases you around catching your best side like a Las Vegas street photographer trying to fleece you for some cash. It's a solid drone with great optics and a fantastic price point.
It's no wonder that a few days ago, HoverAir announced it's cooking up some more flying goodies for us to drool over.
Yesterday, I got a chance to attend the virtual press launch of the little orange drone with a full Q&A with Zero Zero Robotics (parent company of HoverAir) co-founder MQ Wang, and while I can't spill all the juicy details just yet, I can firmly say that it's going to make a proper cannonball splash in the drone market. Definitely more so than the existing (and more utilitarian) SwellPro, which was formerly known as the Splash Drone.
If you're into watersports like canoeing, kayaking (flat or white water), water skiing, jet skiing, paddle/wake/knee/skim/kite/body (or any other) boarding (even waterboarding, I suppose), surfing, windsurfing, foiling, boating … or even [redacted], then you're going to be pretty stoked with the Aqua.
The deets I'm allowed to tease you with:
- It's waterproof.
- It's autonomous.
- It absolutely hauls the mail and can track you at 34 mph (55 km/h).
- It takes off and lands in the water.
- It can get barreled in a wave (so pitted).
- It's got a 1/1.3 CMOS camera that shoots in 4K at 100 fps for those ultra crispy slo-mo shots.
- It can withstand wind up to 38 mph (61 km/h).
- And it's under the 250-gram FAA limit for requiring a pilot's license.
Personally, I like to kayak in and around the Gulf of America (I struggled with "Do I call it Gulf of Mexico?"). I've been really tempted to take the X1 Promax out with me to catch a couple clips while I'm out paddling, but it's always seemed just a bit too risky for a shot I'll never use for anything other than a memory keepsake. Though, I don't think the Aqua will be 'gator-proof either.
Expect to see full product specs in a couple of weeks here on New Atlas!
Source: HoverAir Aqua
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