Flying a drone over solid ground is one thing, but flying it over water is a whole ‘nother ball game. With all manner of electronics on board, an unexpected aquatic landing is almost always a death sentence for your drone, which makes flying it a much more
That’s not the case for the Splash Drone, however. Recently launched on Kickstarter, this hardy little quadcopter is encased in a buoyant waterproof shell, so it can safely land and float on water without being damaged. But waterproof components aren’t the only trick Splash has up its sleeve. Even without the watertight hull, it’s still got an impressive list of features.
On its underbelly, Splash is outfitted with a gimbal, allowing you to mount a GoPro on it and shoot super-stable video. This gimbal is also completely waterproof, so you can shoot while either airborne or submerged.
And the list goes on. Similar to drones like the Hexo+ and Airdog, the Splash is equipped with auto-follow functionality, so it can shoot video autonomously while you play in the water. And with a top speed of 25 mph, you’ll be able to use it for faster sports like surfing, kayaking, or wakeboarding. There’s even a nifty payload release mechanism on it, so you could potentially use it to ferry stuff between boat and shore.
Unsurprisingly, the project has already blasted past its original $17,500 funding goal, and is currently on track to reach the $100K mark before the campaign ends. You can lock one down for a pledge of 800 bucks, and so long as manufacturing goes smoothly, the first batch of Splash drones is expected to ship sometime in July.
