Flying personal drones have conquered the air, now Ziphius, an aquatic drone, has its sensors set on the seas. Developed by Azorean Aquatic Technologies, a Portuguese startup based on Sao Migues, the drone is powered by a Raspberry Pi and can be controlled via a tablet or a smartphone.
“It was sort of inspired by the Azores and all the incredible aquatic life around there,” says Edmundo Nobre, an environmental engineer and Azoreans CEO. Although the drone doesn’t go below the surface Ziphius can shoot photos and video – its 1080p HD camera is attached to a servomotor that tilts 160 degrees, so it can see underwater. “It has visibility provided by design,” explains Nobre.
“For example, if we are playing in the waves and it drops upside down, it automatically turns right-side up.”
The drone has two propellers powered by separate brushless motors allowing it to drivel at 10kph, make sharp turns and reverse. Azorean is mass producing the Ziphius to sell at around $170 next year. It is working on augmented-reality apps and plans to push the use of the drone’s image processing abilities so it can behave autonomously – by chasing a ball for instance. And yes, they’re developing one with a cup holder.
While it’s already been funded you can find out more by visiting the Kickstarter page here.