You can now be your own Superman – while staying on the ground.
With the marriage of first-person-view (FPV) drone technology and virtual reality, anyone can see what drones see up in the air. This is possible thanks to PowerUp Toys, a tech company specializing in FPV camera kits that can be attached to a paper airplane. The company is behind PowerUp FPV, a do-it-yourself paper airplane drone solution that lets you see what your drone can see. It connects to your Smartphone or tablet, allowing you to live-stream your paper airplane drone’s aerial footage right on your device.
All it takes to get PowerUp running is a simple setup for installing the kit and pairing it with your device. With Bluetooth built in right into PowerUp, you can remotely control your paper airplane drone from a distance of 300 feet and can fly at speeds of up to 20 miles an hour, while being able to stream live video that you can view with a smartphone or tablet. What’s even cooler about this kit is that you can view your live drone footage in virtual reality using Google Cardboard for your supported device – it gives you the feeling and delight of flying up in the air while keeping yourself planted on the ground.
In addition to live VR video feed streamed right into your eyes, PowerUp also records audio simultaneously with your video for the full immersive FPV experience. You can also take still photos while your drone is engaged in flight mid-air, letting you capture those aerial sceneries and share your experience with others.
All the control and features of the PowerUp FPV is unleashed by its companion mobile app for both iOS and Android devices. With the app, you can pair your airplane drone using Bluetooth, and the fun starts from there. The app lets you fully control your drone using touch controls, and with its support for Google Cardboard, you can also strap a Cardboard VR headset and let your head movements do the rest.
The PowerUp FPV kit has received lots of praise from the online community, thanks to its ingenuity and the promise of an immersive and fun drone-flying experience. WIRED described PowerUp FPV by saying “(it) utilizes VR and drones, but the way it uses basic materials shows just how far the technology has come.” Mashable also gave good praise to PowerUp FPV, saying that it’s honor belongs to the PowerUp FPV mobile app, giving users the ability to control their paper airplane drones using the Google Cardboard VR headset.
PowerUp FPV opens up a new door for hobbyists to create new kinds of experiences and even be creative with its features. Thanks to the combination of FPV tech and VR, you can really have the joy of flying without ever leaving your seat.
