Drones and water don't get along. This tends to be a problem when you're trying to film aerial footage of, say, some rad surfers or when your battery dies above a pond. But the Splash Drone is designed specifically to solve your waterlogged quadcopter woes.


The main selling point of this semi-DIY drone isn't just the fact that it won't short out if you crash into water. The Splash Drone is fully waterproof. It even floats! It can take off from the water and land on the water. You can also plop it down in the ocean mid-flight, and thanks to a waterproof gimbal and GoPro Dive Case, you'll be able to film the little fishes under the water. That's kind of awesome.

In addition to being waterproof, the Splash Drone also has such useful features as the capability to return to base with the flip of a switch and the option to keep the camera tuned on a specific point of interest (a.k.a. Follow Me). There's also a payload release feature that would let you, for instance, deliver a beer to a friend on a boat. Sounds like pretty much the best thing ever.


You can control the Splash Drone with a smartphone or an RC controller, and it supports a live video feed. The Splash Drone can even be rigged with an emergency flare system which, well, okay sure why not.

The Splash Drone is currently a funded Kickstarter project, which might normally make you a little wary, but in this case the technology already exists. The hardware itself has been on sale in China for a while, and some of the components come from 3D Robotics' Open Hardware Program. You can nab a super-basic DIY kit for a handy $390—if you think you can build it—and a "ready to fly bird" for $800 that comes with all the trimmings.


Click over to Kickstarter for more details. The campaign ends April 8. [Kickstarter]

Contact the author at adam@gizmodo.com .

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