Device enables enthusiasts to download new apps to their drones

Percepto will enable developers to pool their resources and give consumers access to new developments quickly and cost-effectively.

Drone technology is continually being improved and updated — but an Isreali start-up now wants to step in to speed up the process. The new add-on system called Percepto will enable developers to pool their resources and offer consumers access to new developments quickly and cost-effectively.

Percepto is a camera that attaches to existing drones and syncs with the user’s smartphone. The tiny add-on will give drones the capacity to host multiple applications — meaning consumers can add features and capabilities to their drone as and when developers create them, as easily as they do on their smartphone.

Percepto is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo where pledgers can pre-order the device from USD 399. From the start, Percepto will give extra computer vision intelligence to existing models, including professional video photography, an intuitive follow-me feature and a host of aerial games. These are apps that the start-up have created themselves, but the company is also creating an open source platform so that developers can add their own apps and even improve Percepto’s vision software.

Possible features could include collision avoidance, gesture control and urban navigation, but it is the unknown possibilities that independent developers will contribute that make the project truly exciting. Percepto has already surpassed its USD 60,000 goal with two weeks of fundraising remaining. What other uses are there for this flexible device?