Do you have aspirations of being the next Jacques Cousteau? Instead of soaring into the air, PowerVision's newest drone, the PowerRay, lets you go exploring the briny deep. The only underwater drone for consumers we've seen here at CES (or anywhere), the PowerRay also has some fun features to help anglers land the big one.
Why You Should Care
Because the next time you go fishing on your buddy's boat, spend all day in the sun, nearly get seasick and don't catch anything, you'll wish you had one of these.
The (not so) deep dive
The PowerRay can go down to depths of 30 meters, and is attached to a controller via a 90-meter cable, which you spool out as the drone swims around. In the front is a 4K camera with two powerful LEDs, to illuminate whatever lies in wait. A 1080p video feed is relayed up the cable to either a smartphone or tablet, or to PowerRay's VR goggles (included).
Other features include a removable fish-finder sonar, which has a range of 40 meters, and a detachable arm lets you dangle bait right in front of the camera, so you can get a better look at The One That Got Away.
Three impellers — two in the rear, and one on the underside — move the PowerRay through the water. Its onboard battery is good for up to 4 hours.
Pricing and Availability
PowerVision will make the PowerRay available for pre-sale on February 27, and plans to ship the drone in late April/early May. Pricing has yet to be finalized, but a company rep said it should be in the $2,000 to $3,000 range.
Outlook: Murky
As it's the first drone of its kind, it's hard to tell how popular the PowerRay will be. At its estimated price, it's not for the mildly curious, but should enable amateur ichthyologists to get an up-close-and-personal look at the creatures lurking beneath the waves. As for landing that big tuna? We'll see.
