Waterproof Drone

[Russky]

Anybody had a chance to try this one?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/urbandrones/splash-drone-a-waterproof-drone-with-autonomous-fe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wQI1KZJzF8
5wQI1KZJzF8

How would it compare (in regards to flying, easiness of control, reliability, etc) to DJI Phantom II drone (besides the "waterproof" factor)?

[ricki]

It would be nice to have one but to my knowledge, there aren't any on the general market yet. That is one problem with kickstarted projects. The product availability is off in the future as is sufficient T & E, maybe. We can hope. Are you flying drones currently?

[Russky]

Are you flying drones currently?

No, Rick, but looking forward to it.

Have been thinking of getting Phantom II - but I heard they sometimes fly away on their own, their 3-way gimball does not fit GoPro IN its waterproof case (only barebone GoPro... which is kind of ridiculous), not to mention the drone itself is not waterproof (so kiss goodbye to both drone and GoPro, if the set drops into the water).

BTW... have seen a pro-drone-set ESPN guys used at filming "Master of the Ocean" Waterman Contest in Encuentro (Dominicana) - wow... that was some impressive piece of technology.

[ricki]

Yes, that is all true. I was advised to become very skilled at manual line of sight flying to deal with those "unusual" sessions in which manual override is indicated. I imagine a number of guys have dropped Phantoms in the water but not as many as I originally thought. Apparently, they are good at flying out of problems, some of the time.

http://www.quadh2o.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC060441.jpg
Just found this, know nothing about it other than the pricing looks good.
http://www.quadh2o.com/#


http://fpvfactory.com/images/Mariner_RTF/Mariner_RTF/Mariner_RTF_version01.jpg
Here is another one, again, don't know anything about quality or performance with it.
http://fpvfactory.com/component/jshopping/product/view/1/133.html


http://www.personal-drones.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Haiti-drone-3.jpg
Here is one that is actually doing survey work off a Haiti, thanks to the magic of Tupperware?! It was home made for about $2000.
http://blog.nature.org/science/2014/08/11/innovation-drone-mapping-of-coral-reefs-and-the-coastal-zone/


I just found a summary of some existing "waterproof" drones at: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1875860


That drone is a monster! The dual, redundant props are interesting too. I haven't seen those on a drone before. It can handle a payload and has all that backup. Although, it might take a microprocessor to keep it in control if one goes out.

No, Rick, but looking forward to it.

Have been thinking of getting Phantom II - but heard they sometimes fly away on their own, their 3-way gimball does not fit GoPro IN its waterproof case (only barebone GoPro... which is kind of ridiculous), not to mention the drone itself is not waterproof (so kiss goodbye to both drone and GoPro, if the set drops into the water).

BTW... has seen a pro-drone-set ESPN guys used at filming "Master of the Ocean" Waterman Contest in Encuentro (Dominicana) - wow... that was some impressive piece of technology.

http://fksa.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=512&d=1426824826

http://fksa.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=513&d=1426824834