American drone company xCraft previously impressed the TV sharks on Shark Tank with PhoneDrone, a quadcopter rig that turns a smartphone into a flying cockpit and camera. Now the startup is looking to impress drone racers with the beta version of its "Rogue" model, one of the fastest flyers we've seen.
The xCraft packs what the company calls a rear "booster" motor that allows the quadcopter to exceed speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h). The extra boost of power is activated with the flip of a switch that kicks the drone into high gear from regular racing mode.
In the world of FPV (first person view) drone racing, we've certainly heard of enthusiasts crafting drones that could keep pace with 100-mph competition, but the Rogue looks to be just about the fastest ready-to-race drone you can buy today. It's got at least 15 mph (24 km/h) on the Teal, perhaps the fastest production drone around until now.
xCraft is looking to appeal to both experienced drone builders and racers as well as newcomers to the sport with several different Rogue beta packages. Pros can purchase a basic frame kit for as little as US$100. A Rogue minus just the radio and receiver runs $550 and the ready-to-fly version is $700. For a full $1,000 the "Noob" package adds FPV googles, extra prop sets, two batteries and a charger to get started racing out of the box.
The key specs of the Rogue include a carbon fiber shell with 3 mm thick arms. The ready-to-fly package gets a RunCam Swift camera, 1,300 mAh battery and 5.8 GHz RHCP antenna with a 200 mW transmitter for audio and video.
You can see the Rogue in action and from FPV in the video below.
Product page: xCraft
