Drones

PowerEgg reshapes the drone for easy transport

PowerEgg reshapes the drone for easy transport
The PowerEgg unfolds to reveal a fully-functional quadcopter
The PowerEgg unfolds to reveal a fully-functional quadcopter
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The PowerEgg is designed to be lightweight and compact
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The PowerEgg is designed to be lightweight and compact
The PowerEgg with rotors folded
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The PowerEgg with rotors folded
The PowerEgg oblique view
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The PowerEgg oblique view
The PowerEgg rotor detail
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The PowerEgg rotor detail
The PowerEgg with rotors deployed
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The PowerEgg with rotors deployed
The PowerEgg sealed up
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The PowerEgg sealed up
The PowerEgg in flight
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The PowerEgg in flight
The PowerEgg is for backcountry flying
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The PowerEgg is for backcountry flying
The PowerEgg is designed to fit in a backpack
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The PowerEgg is designed to fit in a backpack
PowerEgg poster
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PowerEgg poster
The PowerEgg unfolds to reveal a fully-functional quadcopter
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The PowerEgg unfolds to reveal a fully-functional quadcopter
View gallery - 11 images

Conventional drones are often billed as portable, though they're also often a collection of rods, rotors, and other bits and pieces that are perfect for catching on things and getting tangled. To make taking drones into the backcountry a bit less onerous, Beijing-based Powervision Robot has taken the gubbins of a quadcopter and built them into a giant PowerEgg that folds up into one smooth package shaped like a cackleberry for transport.

The product of 18 months of development, the PowerEgg is PowerVision's first mainstream commercial drone and draws on technology developed for the company's industrial drones. According to the developers, the egg design is not only to allow the quadcopter to act as its own carrying case, but also for compactness and stability.

When switched off, the PowerEgg folds up into a smooth ovoid shell, but when ready for flight the sides split and unfold into landing gear and arms for the folding rotors. Meanwhile, the bottom of the egg opens to reveal a 360-degree panoramic 4K HD camera on a three-axis gimbal. According to PowerVision, the rotors are larger than usual for comparable drones, which required a degree of re-engineering.

The PowerEgg is designed to fit in a backpack
The PowerEgg is designed to fit in a backpack

PowerVision hasn't released full specs for the PowerEgg, but the company says that it's designed to be lightweight and small enough to be carried in a backpack. The camera system not only provides long-range, real-time video, but also works with "optical flow" sensors for indoor navigation.

Along with the PowerEgg comes a remote control that the company claims is easy-to-use and intuitive. This is part of its philosophy of reducing the learning curve needed to learn drone operation with the eventual goal of producing a system that a five-year old could handle.

"Powervision wanted to create a beautiful yet functional design for the PowerEgg," says Powervision CEO Wally Zhen. "We think the oval shape is not only clean and pure but also has the structural and functional benefits. This simple yet vital design means that this is more than a flying robot but a work of art."

The PowerEgg will be available later this year at a price that has yet to be announced.

The video below introduces the PowerEgg drone.

Source: PowerVision

PowerEgg - The Flying Robot by PowerVision

View gallery - 11 images
7 comments
7 comments
Peter Kelly
I don't want a drone (dreadful things).... but I want one of these!!!
Amazing how an object can turn a perception on its head. If it works half as well as it looks it will be spectacular!
Runklmstiltzskin
The video on this was a bunch of crap!!It started out 2 B a nice video but lasted Just long enough to pique your interrest but then just ended .....So totally disappointing......A bunch Of BS.....LOL :-}
S Michael
Not real.... this is April Fool stuff...
Wozza60
I want one... :)
Tom Lee Mullins
Put a couple of eyes on the top and it is EVA from Wall-E. I think that is really neat.
Bruce H. Anderson
That pretty egg just means extra weight, so it may not work as good as it looks. There are plenty of collapsible drones that fit into a nice carrying case, but if you need to make a fashion statement go right ahead.
Noure
The props are on backward, this will direct thrust upward, pushing it into the ground, not designed by engineers, just a fancy 3D model with no mechanical design. this is not a product and is not designed by someone who knows what they are doing.