Fathom is seeking crowdfunding investment on Kickstarterfor its Fathom One HD underwater drone. it features a built in HD camera and LED lights, along with a rail system for attaching additional accessories. It is tethered by 100 f33t (30m) to a surface buoy which allows the drone to be controlled via wifi from iOS or Android devices at the surface. Battery life is one hour and its maximum depth is 150 feet (45m).

Currently available to Kickstarter backers at $499, it will retail at $599 when finally released.

Press release

Fathom One Drone

Company Overview

Fathom is a company that’s dedicated to bringing underwater exploration and education to the masses. Whether it’s experience, cost, or lack of technical knowledge, something has always stood in the way of the average individual learning more about what’s happening under the surface of our bodies of water. That’s why the co-founders at Fathom set out to design a drone system that would allow anyone to become a citizen explorer, all for $600. Two years later, the Fathom One is finally here.

Backstory

The idea for the Fathom One came about when co-founder Daniel Vessells heard stories about how his local lake contained horse-drawn carriages that fell through the ice in the winter when the town was a logging hotspot in the 1800’s, but had no way of finding out if the stories were true. He wasn’t scuba certified, and didn’t have the money for current drone systems. That’s when he reached out to John Boss and Matthew Gira to help him bring his idea to life.

Product Description

The Fathom One is the world’s first easy to use, truly affordable underwater drone. Unlike systems that claim to be “inexpensive” with price tags ranging anywhere from $1,600 to $20,000, the Fathom One sets a new standard in affordability at $600. The Fathom One features a 1080p camera onboard with built in high-intensity LEDs, as well as a patent-pending modular thruster attachment system. This system allows users to take off all three of the Fathom One’s thrusters in order to easily customize, upgrade, or pack the drone. It also features an integrated rail system on the bottom of the device that makes it incredibly simple to attach action cameras, additional lights, or other sensors to the drone. And to extend the working range of the Fathom One, the Fathom team is designing a WiFi buoy that can transmit up to 100 feet away to any smart device. To use the system, simply connect the drone to the buoy, connect to the buoy wirelessly on any Android or iOS device using the Fathom app, and toss it in the water. The result of this streamlined system is the ability to explore underwater without ever having to get wet.

FAQ’s

Why is the Fathom One so much cheaper than existing systems?

The Fathom One’s price is a side-effect of streamlined design and new methods for manufacturing underwater robotics systems. When these two factors are combined, it allowed the Fathom team to produce a low cost, yet robust system that the average consumer could afford.

What’s unique about the Fathom One compared to current systems?

The Fathom One features a patent-pending modular thruster attachment system that allows the user to remove all three thrusters from the drone’s body to make it a breeze to customize, upgrade, or pack the drone. The thruster configuration also makes the Fathom One incredibly easy to pilot - it’s intuitive because it swims more like a fish than a robot. There’s also an integrated rail system on the bottom of the Fathom One that allows the user to easily add accessories like action cameras, additional lights, or other sensors to customize the drone to fit their specific needs.

What are the primary uses for something like the Fathom One?

Whether it be in a backyard pool or under the ice in Antarctica, the Fathom One is designed to capture experiences from an entirely new perspective that - up to this point - hasn’t been possible. You no longer have to abide by human limitations when exploring underwater - no air tanks, no decompression stops, you don’t even have to get wet to explore these alien worlds that exist all around us.

Why does the Fathom One’s battery last so much longer than aerial drones?

Unlike aerial drones, the Fathom One can take advantage of the water column - instead of constantly running four to six motors to stay suspended, the Fathom One simply floats in place, using only slight motor adjustment to maintain its heading and depth.

Why does the Fathom One have to use a wired connection - what’s the tether all about?

The Fathom One has to use a tether because - quite frankly - wireless communication and video transmission through water (at least the depths we’re going to) doesn’t exist yet. However, we see the tether as a huge benefit. If anything happens to your drone at depth, you can simply pull it up by the tether so you don’t lose your $600 investment. We’re also working on tether containment systems that will make it easier than ever to handle all that wire. Stay tuned for more updates on that!

What are the Fathom One’s technical specifications?

• Camera quality: 1080p
• Battery life: Up to an hour depending on use
• Max depth: 150ft
• Max forward speed: 1.5 m/s or 3 knots
• Built in LED power: Dual 3W LEDs
• Fathom App: Drone can fully controlled from the Fathom App, physical controller optional, can upload photos and video to social media from app.
• Sensor feedback: Drone can sense depth and heading

When will the Fathom One be released?

The Fathom One will be released on Kickstarter on August 30th.

Contact Info and Miscellaneous

Website: www.fathomdrone.com.

Contact Info: Email.