The Teal quad contains a supercomputer which allows it to fly autonomously as well as recognise images. It is the brainchild of founder George Matus, who at only 18 years old, wanted to create a device that was ‘fast, versatile, smart and break the limits of what drones could do.
Mr Matus told MailOnline: ‘In regards to flight speed, it depends on the environment, altitude, wind, and battery life, so we say 70+mph to cover all of that.’
While this high speed could be seen as dangerous, on its website Teal states: ‘Teal is built on both the hardware side and software side to make it as safe and easy as possible to fly, while still allowing mind-blowing manoeuvrability and speed.’
One of the most interesting features is an inbuilt mini ‘supercomputer’ called the Nvidia TX1, similar to Raspberry Pi. This allows the drone to fly autonomously, recognise images, and even handle learning. The modular design of the drone means that the arms can be taken on and off, as well as the top section of the drone. In the future this could allow owners to attach specialised arms for different functions.
Mr Matus said: ‘We’re going to have a top cover with a camera port in it, so someone could install a thermal camera and use the Teal in search-and-rescue operations, or install or attach a laser scanner and use it for surveying. ‘Or they could install different types of rotors for racing or carrying bigger payloads.’
The device can be controlled by an iOS or Android phone, or even a radio controller, and contains a 13 mega-pixel camera.The company hopes that the combination of modular design, and powerful supercomputer will make the drone appealing for both consumer and commercial uses.
The drone will be available from Christmas 2016, though at $1,299 (£985), it is not an investment to take lightly. Customers will have access to three companion apps – a flight control app, a racing app, and one with a ‘Follow-Me’ mode for tracking subjects.
Speaking about who he imagines using the drone, Mr Matus said: ‘I think initially we’ll see a lot of hobbyists and drone flyers pick up the Teal and use it for racing and stunt flying, but with our beginner mode, we think that will begin to expand out to people who want to learn how to fly a drone too.’
‘Once our software development kit is out and we start seeing more and more apps built for the drone, that will expand out in to several commercial uses like land surveying, search-and-rescue, construction, monitoring and more.’
Source: Daily Mail
Calling a Raspberry Pi a super computer is like calling a Smart Car an F-1 contender. It is a more capable computer than is generally use on a drone yes, a supercomputer… hardly!