Rotor Concept shows quadcopters for digital cameras

Rotor Concept, Inc, a company focused on selling quadcopters for photography, showed two alternatives to Parrot’s AR.Drone at CES: a small helicopter with four rotors for compact cameras and a larger one for DSLRs.

The HPQ-1 and HPC-2, as the two four-rotor helicopters are called, are a slightly more professional version of the AR.Drones. The quadcopters are intended for normal digital cameras instead of a built-in one and other payloads can also travel on board. The small model can carry about half a kilo, while the large model can take almost one and a half kilos.

The helicopters are controlled with a normal radio controller instead of an iPhone or iPad, and the models are modifiable. This way you can just fly, but a camera mount, if desired with servos for aiming, is a more interesting option. The electronics of the small version can also be reused in the event of an upgrade to the larger version.

The electronics include a barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. The stabilization system automatically compensates for wind and the helicopter automatically keeps itself in the air. A battery charge lasts about twenty minutes and additional parts, such as other rotors and bodies are available. The small model has a diameter of 41 centimeters and the large version is 61 centimeters in diameter. Prices start at about $300.