up till now, waterborne drones are relegated to research and exploration applications, but the Portugal-based Azorean Aquatic Technologies believe that should not be the case and the Ziphius Aquatic Drone is their machine of choice to prove that point. touted as the world’s first app-controlled aquatic drone, the Ziphius is a sleek surface drone that can shoot both above water and underwater photos and videos. no specifics were given about what drives this cutie when in the water – all we know is there’s a pair of turbines for propulsion which the Ziphius development team claims could push this little guy up to 6 mph (9.7 km/h), if the condition is right. for that, we are assuming the right condition would be calm water such as in a swimming pool. one of the most beautiful aspect of the Ziphius is its hydrodynamic property, which means it will always remain the right side up no matter what. if a huge wave comes down upon it, no problem at all; it will always remain upright and lets you keep it going for up to an hour.
connectivity between your smart device such as your tablets and the drone is established via WiFi which gives it up to a range of 300 feet (91 meters). and on the imaging side of things, a 160-degree titling angle HD camera with bright LED light lets you shoot and share your images and videos on YouTube, FaceBook and the likes. of course, the Ziphius is more than just that. there are big plans coming your way such as apps for exploring the autonomous behavior, augmented reality games, different outfits (aka top cover) for fun purpose like transporting can drinks, or one with an adapter for GoPro cameras. the best part about the Ziphius Aquatic Drone is, unlike pro rigs such as the Aquabotix or the Open ROV, its ownership starts from just $199. heck, that’s way cheaper than most RC toys. check out a product pitch video below to learn more.
