Nearly three years ago, Parrot’s Minidrone Hydrofoil was introduced. It is a radio-controlled model boat which also has a detachable aerial drone for propulsion. Horizon Hobby has now taken a similar approach to create its Blade Inductrix Switch RTF. This is a quadcopter and a hovercraft combination. When the user wants to use the drone, the Switch’s copter component can be flown like a regular mini-drone. The drone is controlled remotely via a 2.4-GHz dual-joystick controller and also features a Safe Angle mode which keeps the aircraft stable and level when the joysticks are released. Over a single charge, the lithium-polymer battery can keep the aircraft in the air for six to eight minutes.
To convert the Switch to hovercraft, the rear motors/props are popped off, and the device is snapped onto the expanded polypropylene foam hovercraft base. The front props face down to provide an air cushion while the rear props face backward for thurst. Once the Switch goes into hovercraft configuration, the user switches the controller to hovercraft mode. The user can choose to control it using the single joystick option, or they can opt to go for dual joysticks for more advanced functioning.
The device can travel on varied surfaces like carpeting, asphalt or dirt as well as water. The electronic components used in the invention are splash resistant. You can also choose to add an FPV (Front Person View) camera to give users the feeling that they are on board. The Blade Inductrix Switch RTF Mini-drone hovercraft was first announced in September and is now available for preorder. It is priced at $80 and will be available in stores for $90.
Watch the video here:
