Wireless iBubble Underwater Drone Will Revolutionize the Scuba Diving Experience

[BFRedrocks]

It gives some specs on the indiegogo site. Looks pretty fast, but probably not recommended in a stiff current. They raised almost $90K in the first day and added a tracking mode where the camera can be "locked" onto a target (like a turtle) and track it. Sounds great on paper so far...looks like about 60 have been sold in the pre-sale. Still on the fence though...

 

[Steve_C]

Not one swept up in the current craze to use up bandwidth to post pictures of myself so I have no interest. I carry a camera to take pictures of other things some of them small and some of them hidden. Fail to see how this will help me take pictures of say a nudibranch. Now if I could tell it "go find me a seahorse" and it would go locate one and then come back and lead me to it so I could photograph it. Now that would be cool.

 

[KeithG]

... Looks pretty fast,.. Sounds great on paper so far...

google "triton" and then search for it on SB. Next step is to ask for some "science".

P.S. Also google MARS one...

The moral of the story... The heavier the Marketing the deeper the BS?

 

[Storker]

Not one swept up in the current craze to use up bandwidth to post pictures of myself so I have no interest. I carry a camera to take pictures of other things some of them small and some of them hidden. Fail to see how this will help me take pictures of say a nudibranch. Now if I could tell it "go find me a seahorse" and it would go locate one and then come back and lead me to it so I could photograph it. Now that would be cool.

When I bring a camera - still, video or both - underwater, it's to capture what I see. Usually, that's not quite what my camera's sensor captures, so I have to spend some time on my computer to convert my camera's sensor capture to what I saw. I can't see that an UW drone can help me with my primary reason for bringing my camera. I have little interest in a picture of a seahorse I didn't encounter myself.

 

[undrwater]

I like it. Scuba accidents will be captured with much more clarity and as a result, will be easier to learn from.

 

[KeithG]

I like it. Scuba accidents will be captured with much more clarity and as a result, will be easier to learn from.

Hang on a minute: we have lots of incidents of Human dive buddy's not being able to maintain contact.

What makes you think this drone would do better?

 

[Steve_C]

When I bring a camera - still, video or both - underwater, it's to capture what I see. ..... I can't see that an UW drone can help me with my primary reason for bringing my camera. I have little interest in a picture of a seahorse I didn't encounter myself.

I agree that it is to record what I see. With some of my regular buddies I will tell them if they find something neat I will buy the beer afterwards. For example, was diving a wreck and my buddy who was about 20 ft away motioned me over. I came over and saw a beautiful orange and white nudi I had not seen before. I took several photos and enjoyed the discovery. Called team diving. I will photograph whatever the team finds that I also find interesting or different. I point out things to them also and those with cameras will often take some shots of what I found. Note that we are typically diving in 30-40 ft of viz and may be 20 ft apart so especially with the macro stuff one of use may spot something that the other does not. If on the SI a diver says they saw X at location Y on the wreck and I would like to see X if the second dive is on the same wreck we will go check out location Y.

 

[huwporter]

google "triton" and then search for it on SB. Next step is to ask for some "science".

P.S. Also google MARS one...

The moral of the story... The heavier the Marketing the deeper the BS?

There are some big differences between this and the Triton scam:

1. It isn't claiming to do anything that is proveably impossible, breaking multiple laws of physics on the way - in fact everything they are claiming to be able to do sounds fairly reasonable, and much of what they are pitching is already commonplace, they are just packaging it nicely. (In contrast to Triton's laughably far-fetched fantasy bull****.)
2. There are clear and quite believable videos of working prototypes shown. (In contrast to Triton's clumsy fakery.)
3. They are asking what seems at first glance to be a realistic price. (In contrast to Triton's pitch of at least four Nobel-prize-winning breakthroughs all yours for $300 in four colours.)
4. They appear to have people with actual relevant engineering and diving experience on the team. (In contrast to Triton's team of graphic designer, salesman and marketing dude.)
5. Some big names in the underwater world are supporting them, and they aren't going to want to be associated with a debacle. (In contrast to Triton where anyone who knows anything are calling them out as scammers.)

There are a few cautions:
1. Flexible funding, means they get the money even if they don't hit target (and no conrtact to actually deliver anything either way).
2. Looks like a pretty aggressive delivery schedule.
3. They still have some pretty hard technical nuts still to crack, such as obstacle avoidance. (This doesn't break any laws of physics, but is a hard enough technical challenge above water, let alone beneath it.)
4. There are a bunch of practicality questions - like as above how it would work in currents? Failure modes? Would it only be useable in ideal pool-like conditions? etc.
5. It's on Indiegogo, who are not exactly covering themselves with glory as far as supporting dodgy projects goes at the moment.

None of this means the project couldn't end up as a disappointing debacle (like any crowdfunding development could), but at least it doesn't look like a straight-up scam. (Yes, Triton, I'm looking at you...)

 

[hellhole]

i am quite worry with stuff from indiegogo.. as they do not really need you to have a prototype in order to start a campaign...
so basically u can say that you have an idea to go to the moon and just post it there...

this item is certainly interesting... but i am in the camp of not bring stuff in the ocean that can get lost in the ocean and be trash...

 

[Storker]

I agree that it is to record what I see. With some of my regular buddies I will tell them if they find something neat I will buy the beer afterwards. For example, was diving a wreck and my buddy who was about 20 ft away motioned me over. I came over and saw a beautiful orange and white nudi I had not seen before. I took several photos and enjoyed the discovery. Called team diving. I will photograph whatever the team finds that I also find interesting or different. I point out things to them also and those with cameras will often take some shots of what I found. Note that we are typically diving in 30-40 ft of viz and may be 20 ft apart so especially with the macro stuff one of use may spot something that the other does not. If on the SI a diver says they saw X at location Y on the wreck and I would like to see X if the second dive is on the same wreck we will go check out location Y.

It may be we're not quite on the same page. I, too, love to have my buddies point out critters for me to see, and I reciprocate. Having spotted the critter isn't a requirement for me to shoot it, but having seen it myself definitely is. IOW, a drone puttering around me and shooting things I never saw is what isn't my cup of tea. And that was what I was trying to say.