GoPro Plans To Launch Consumer Drones

GoPro is set to release a camera-equipped drone product aimed at the consumer market, according to reports.

The company, which has proved extremely popular with the extreme sports market thanks to its helmet-mounted cameras, is preparing to launch a multirotor drone that will come equipped with a camera to record footage from the air.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the drones will cost between $500 to $1000, and will go on sale next year.

Flying high

GoPro is yet to comment on the reports, but the company’s products have proved to be a popular tool for enthusiasts looking to build their own home-made drones (see left), with the company reporting sales of 2.4 million so far this year.

However, some of its main competitors, including DJI and Parrot, have begun packaging their own cameras instead of relying on GoPro’s devices, which are compatible with a wide range of drones already on the market.

Following initial suspicion, the technology community seems to have gradually embraced the notion of drones over recent months, especially considering the US Federal Aviation Authority’s struggle to regulate them for commercial and recreational use. The drone industry is expected to grow to $2.2 billion by next year and $10 billion by 2025, according to industry trade group the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

However, several major companies announcing plans to launch their own services using them.

Amazon revealed in December 2013 that it was working on its own home delivery drone fleet, and would launch an Amazon Prime Air service sometime around 2018. Earlier this summer, Google revealed it admitted it was also developing its own fleet of airborne drones for home deliveries.

There have been some concerns raised over drones, with research by the University of Birmingham highlighting the privacy, safety and security risks, especially as the aircraft could be possibly used by terror groups to attack public events. The British government has also announced that it will be using drones over Syria to gather intelligence on Islamic State militants.

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