Waterproof Drone Hopes to Make a SPLASH on Kickstarter

A South Florida tech startup is banking on a waterproof drone concept that may make a huge splash in the crowdfunded UAV sector.

Urban Drones of Ft. Lauderdale launched a Kickstarter campaign Wednesday for the Splash Drone. The quadcopter is designed for adventure-genre imagery flights and is capable of landing and floating on bodies of water. It will ship ready to fly with a GoPro camera, seven-inch monitor (optional) and waterproof gimbal.

The company designed the drone so that users could capture detailed footage near or on water without the fear of sending a four-figure UAV rig into an untimely, aquatic grave.

“Since 2007 when I started building and flying drones, I knew that I wanted to build a waterproof drone,” said Urban Drones founder Alex Rodriguez. An award-winning video producer, Rodriguez knows the UAV biz – he was a presenter and speaker at the 2015 Association of Unmanned Vehicles International conference.

The Splash Drone may have applications in search and rescue, boasting an emergency flare adapter capable of hovering with a flare up to 300 feet for up to 15 minutes. The drone can also release up to a two-pound payload remotely which could also come in handy during a rescue operation. Using a GoPro interface, the Splash Drone can transmit video up to a mile and adds follow-me mode (app based) and autonomous mission/”return-to-base” capability. Pilots can control the Splash Drone with an Android app.

Rodriguez points out that developing a waterproof gimbal provided the greatest design challenge. “We started with a clear dome, but quickly realized that we needed a gimbal that could touch the water, uncovered,” he said.

“We’ve tested several camera gimbal configurations and are working on testing the latest prototype in fresh and salt water. The major challenges were waterproofing the gyro stabilization board and the signal cables. We used the same concept as the GoPro dive box and are now testing it for endurance.”

Unlike many drone Kickstarter projects, Urban Drones is seeking a rather modest funding target at this point of $17,500. As of March 5, the project garnered 22 backers representing $10,000 in pledges with 33 days remaining. Pledges of $799 will guarantee an investor first crack at the Splash Drone following production – a $400 discount of the expected retail price of $1,199.

Splash Drone Specs

Frame features

ABS thermoplastic polymer

500mm size

External power switch

Landing gear

Top watertight gasket

Four screw hatch compartment

Motor / Electronics

Brushless 650kv motors (CE & RoHS)

40amp ESCs

all in one Power Distribution Board

Propellers

Carbon Fiber Construction

12 inch (1243)

Self Tightening

Video Transmitter

5.8ghz 600mw – 32 channels

Integrated Cloverleaf antenna