Company Establishes Kickstarter Campaign To Raise Capital

Most UAVs currently on the consumer market seem to be geared towards aerial photography and similar uses, a niche for which they are well suited. But a new company has added a twist to that meme ... a sonar fish finder on a waterproof quadcopter.

The AguaDrone has popped up on Kickstarter with an ambitious goal of $150,000 the company hopes to raise by the end of July. The aircraft features interchangeable "pods" which include the Fish Scout Pod, the above-mentioned sonar; a Line Flier Pod; and an AguaDrone Camera Pod.

The company says that the AguaDrone is the first waterproof UAV to offer "a quick and easy way to change out attachments, with the pod area located on the bottom of the drone." Once you locate where the fish are hiding with the Fish Finder Pod, the Line Flier Pod will carry your lure or other bait beyond your normal casting range up to 300 feet away. The Waterproof HD Camera Pod allows aerial or underwater photography.

The company is marketing the aircraft to commercial as well as recreational fishermen. On the Kickstarter site, the company says the aircraft can be flown to a remote site and landed on the water with sonar information transmitted back to the user, which would result in fuel savings for the boat operator. It will also transmit depth information to those fishing in rivers and streams.

The company hopes to raise the initial capital by the end of July and begin molding of the aircraft in August. Final assembly of the aircraft would begin in September, with the first quadcopters shipping in October.

No suggested retail price was listed for the quadcopter, but a pledge of $1,799 or more to the Kickstarter campaign gets the donor an aircraft with all three attachments and other accessories.

(Images from AguaDrone Kickstarter site)

FMI: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1528442751/first-water-proof-drone-with-sonar-fish-finder