HoverAir Aqua: First drone especially for water sports enthusiasts
The US drone manufacturer presented its quadrocopter in Berlin, which it describes as the "first waterproof self-flying camera".
When it comes to camera drones for private use, DJI now has the market almost to itself: some former competitors such as GoPro and PowerVision have completely disappeared from the market, while others such as Parrot and Yuneec only offer models for professional use. If a competitor product comes to Germany at all, it is usually a drone that is very similar in design and technology to one of the well-known DJI models. However, after Insta360 with its 360-degree drone, the US manufacturer HoverAir is now also preparing to steal market share from DJI.
To achieve this, however, it is not relying on a me-too product, but is launching a flight model on the market that has never been seen before from any other manufacturer: a waterproof (IP 67) quadrocopter that is capable of water take-offs and landings and is designed to film surfers or canoeists practising their hobby, for example, with 15 flight modes available according to the manufacturer. As part of the IFA "Showstoppers" event, HoverAir gave a live demonstration of the model, with the telling name "Aqua", to the international trade press.
Successful crowdfunding
HoverAir is no stranger to the scene; the company already has drones on the market with the X1, the X1 Pro and the X1 ProMax, which are primarily aimed at users who prefer autonomous flying devices. Nevertheless, the Aqua is being financed via crowdfunding – and is extremely successful: the original funding target of 50,000 US dollars was exceeded more than twentyfold on Indiegogo on the very first day, which is also remarkable given the starting price of around 1,000 dollars. The model is expected to cost at least 1,300 dollars in the packages offered on Indiegogo. In the meantime, over 1.5 million US dollars have already been raised. Shipping is scheduled to start in the 4th quarter of 2025.
Technical data
When using the Aqua, the user wears a radio transmitter on their arm (called Lighthouse here), which the drone automatically follows – at a speed of up to 55 km/h and even in stiff winds of up to force 7. According to HoverAir, the maximum flight time on one battery charge is 23 minutes. According to the manufacturer, the battery should be changed in as dry an environment as possible – which could prove to be quite a challenge.
Videos by heise
Although the drone is equipped with a 1/1.28'' CMOS sensor and can record HDR and 10-bit H-Log videos, the resolution only goes up to 4K at 100 hertz. According to the manufacturer, the limiting factor is the heat development at higher resolutions, which would cause the camera chip to smoke in the waterproof housing without air cooling. Aqua is equipped with a 128 GB internal memory so that external memory cards do not have to be used. A 1.6-inch AMOLED screen in the quadrocopter can be used to check the images while still on the water.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(nij)
