(Source: DailyMail)
Travelling to see famous sights can be expensive, but soon you may be able to check out attractions without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
‘Drone tourism’ is set to become the travel technology of the future thanks to the endeavours of an Austrian scientist. It will allow tourists to swoop over landmarks such as Rome’s Colosseum and the Grand Canyon.
Pictures from the drone would be beamed to a set of virtual reality goggles and on-board cameras controlled by a tilt of the head.
The invention is the work of Dr Helmut Hlavacs of the University of Vienna, who has so far tested the equipment locally in an open field and city street.
‘All around the world, people could join in if they wanted and hire a drone,’ he said to New Scientist.
Mr Hlavacs emphasised that the invention could be a boon for those less able to get around.
He added: ‘One big aspect of this is inclusion: for people who can’t afford to travel, people with disabilities, people who for some reason aren’t able to spend the time.’
Drones have already succeeded in revolutionising aerial photography, with incredible footage being captured in places such as the world’s largest cave, Vietnam’s Hang Son Doong.
The panning shots help viewers to appreciate the magnitude of the 5.5 mile-long, 650ft wide and 500ft-tall cave.
One person who already benefits from drone footage is quadriplegic Henry Evans. He experiences far flung places from his home that would otherwise be inaccessible to him.
However, even he has misgivings about drone tourism being initiated at public attractions.
He told New Scientist he thought the concept would only work with professional operators on the ground. ‘They are not safe in museums or in close proximity to other people,’ he said.
Despite this, Hlavacs is a firm believer that the drones could be the next era of cheap and environmentally-friendly tourism and estimates he is about a year away from a model that could be used by the public.
However he suspects tourism bosses will only allow the drones when people are not around.
Continue Reading at DailyMail.co.uk…
Alan is serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and a drone enthusiast. He co-founded DRONELIFE.com to address the emerging commercial market for drones and drone technology. Prior to DRONELIFE.com, Alan co-founded Where.com, ThinkingScreen Media, and Nurse.com. Recently, Alan has co-founded Crowditz.com, a leader in Equity Crowdfunding Data, Analytics, and Insights. Alan can be reached at alan(at)dronelife.com
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