DJI Patents an Off-Road Rover With a Stabilized Camera on Top
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow1337:
DJI patents an off-road rover with a stabilized camera on top - TechCrunch:
DJI is easily the leading brand when it comes to camera drones, but few companies have even attempted a ground-based mobile camera platform. The company may be moving in that direction, though, if this patent for a small off-road vehicle with a stabilized camera is any indication.
The Chinese patent, first noted by DroneDJ, shows a rather serious-looking vehicle platform with chunky tires and a stabilized camera gimbal. As you can see in the image above, the camera mount is protected against shock by springs and pneumatics, which would no doubt react actively to sudden movements.
The image is no simple sketch like those you sometimes see of notional products and "just in case" patents - this looks like a fleshed-out mechanical drawing of a real device. Of course, that doesn't mean it's coming to market at all, let alone any time soon. But it does suggest that DJI's engineers have dedicated real time and effort to making this thing a reality.
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