Sprite Drone – The Modular Design Provides More Portability
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Drones and quadcopters have become quite the rage when it comes to flying enthusiasts and aerial photography and videography has become the next big thing. With a large number of drones already available in the market, companies are now trying to create newer designs that will make these flying machines more stable and easier to carry around.
Taking a turn from the usual four-rotored design, US startup Ascent Aerosystems have created a drone that uses only two propellers and has a cylindrical form. This drone also features a HD camera built into it and is extremely convenient as you can simply just slide it into your bag without the fear of breaking its parts.
Sprite incorporates the best drone features with a new design and body
The Sprite Drone has been designed keeping durability and portability in mind and measures 13.2 inches in length, 3.8 inches in diameter and weighs 2.6 lbs (1.04 kg). With a flight time of 10-12 minutes and a range of about 2 km (1.24 mi), you can fly it manually using the transmitter or Android application, or autonomously using its drone piloting software. The base of the drone features a 2-axis stabilized gimbal and a 1080p video camera.
As the biggest problem with drones has been the issue of safely carrying them around, the Sprite Drone has been presented as a thermos-shaped drone that is waterproof and has coaxial rotors at the top. Its blades fold inwards around the body and thus do not break even when not kept in a case.
This new design also gives way to versatility as the modular body of the drone can be taken apart to replace with newer parts. This will also allow fliers to customize their drone and attach different components and accessories. Ascent Aerosystems is presently working on obstacle avoidance sensors, LED lights and a GoPro mount.
Ascent Aerosystems started the Sprite Drone as a campaign on Kickstarter and the concept has garnered a lot of interest from enthusiasts all around the Internet. Their $200,000 goal has been met and exceeded by a number of backers with 3 days until the campaign ends.
