GoPro to launch drone camera rig in 2016, dabble in virtual reality

Late last year we heard whispers of GoPro‘s future plans and expansion into the drone space. The company has now officially revealed that it’s working on a cube-like camera rig for drones with virtual reality support dubbed the “Six-Camera Spherical Array“.

Sounds very awkward, right? GoPro CEO Nick Woodman told Re/Code that it would be anything but.

“It’s incredible to see our world from new perspectives,” Wordman mentioned. “It’s a real ‘Oh my God’ moment.

“We did that with our GoPro cameras, and we see a similar opportunity in the quadcopter market. It’s something that’s in our DNA, and we are excited about it across the company.”

The Six-Camera Spherical Array in its cubic glory.

Read more: GoPro drones are just a few months away, according to report

It makes good business sense too, especially after the company bought digital video company Kolor in April.

Drone videos and action cameras go hand in hand, with the latter allowing the former to cover more extreme landscapes autonomously, without the need for a user to lug it around. It’s also a definite interest for a company that’s expanding at a rapid rate. In the first quarter alone, the company has seen a 54% jump in revenue, thanks to massive global expansion. GoPro also has more than enough street cred to launch a drone and sell it without much of a fuss.

But an area that’s perhaps a little new to GoPro is virtual reality.

Using new skills obtained from its Kolor acquisition, the images snapped by the drone can be used in virtual reality applications. Essentially, this means that users could relive their adventures through the eyes of their GoPro drone, which is an extraordinary through.

The company has suggested that we should see first light of the system in the early portion of 2016.

Feature image: Pete Prodoehl via Flickr