Kudrone Hits the Market After Successful Crowdfunder

Chinese manufacturer Ruiven has today launched Kudrone, a competitively priced micro-drone with a range of features aimed at bridging the gap between tiny toys and the more capable models on the consumer market. The Kudrone made its debut on Indiegogo, where it raised more than $1.3 million from 10,792 backers.

Starting at $169, the Kudrone fleet is now made up of 4 different models. Each is a 3.7inch, 3oz quadcopter designed to be small but pack a punch. The functionality on offer includes a Sony camera capable of capturing 4K images, HD 1080P and panoramic photos and videos that can be streamed to the Kudrone app or stored onboard the with a 32 GB memory card.

The Kudrone also comes with a few interesting features, including a “throw to fly” launch capability, precision sonar-enabled hovering and a GPS auto-follow feature that will hold the drone in a position relative to subjects once engaged. Other flight capabilities can be triggered with a few buttons such as an automatic landing and a panoramic 360 flight rotation.

Kudrone is controlled via smartphone through a dedicated Android and iOS app. Flight manoeuvres are taught to pilots with game-like tutorials.

 

“Through the success of our Indiegogo campaign, it is apparent that current drones on the market are either too expensive or don’t have enough features for enthusiasts and adventurers. Now with Kudrone, there is finally an affordable, compact and quality option available to consumers, prosumers and professionals alike,” said Kayven Zou, director of Ruiven.

“Our nano-drones take professional-grade videos and images, while offering flexibility through its hovering and vision positioning feature.”

Kudrone: The Specs

• Size and weight: 3.7 inch body, 3oz
• Camera: 12MP cameraSony CMOS 1/3.2 sensor and F2.8 lens providing an image resolution of 3280 x 2464 with video resolutions of 4K, 1080p and 720p
• Connection:Wi-Fi
• Image transfer: Up to 32GM of internal storage and live streaming offered at a transition at 720p with a 160ms delay
• Range: 100ft
• Battery: The 650mAh battery allows for 8 minutes of airtime.
• Batteries can be charged in under 30 minutes

Availability

From today you can purchase all of the different versions of the Kudrone via Amazon or the company’s website. The Kudrone fleet has four models, each of which comes with a rechargeable battery, charging dock and 32GB of storage.

• Kudrone Prokit: 4K Series – $239 – Equipped with GPS auto-follow, 5 rechargeable batteries, charging dock and 4K imaging capabilities.
• Kudrone Prokit: 1080P Series – $199 – 5 rechargeable batteries, charging dock, and 1080P imaging capabilities.
• Kudrone Lite Series: 4K Series – $199 – 2 rechargeable batteries, GPS auto-tracking, and 4K imaging capabilities.
• Kudrone Lite Series: 1080P Series – $169 –2 rechargeable batteries, 1080P imaging capabilities.