New GoPro trained to responds to commands in an Aussie drawl

GoPros have always been rugged. But they’ve also been tricky to use. Now they’re designed to be as simple as a smartphone and can comprehend an Aussie drawl.

THE new GoPro Hero 5 cameras released today will recognise voice commands with an Australian accent, including letting excited Aussies tag the best part of their videos by telling the camera “that was sick”.

There is a list of voice commands that let you change the camera modes and start and stop it taking pictures. Along with the “that was sick” command for tagging parts of video, GoPro has a hidden “Easter egg” in the camera for users to discover that lets them tag a part of a video by issuing an excited expletive to the camera.

That an Australian accent is one of the options for GoPro’s newest cameras reflects the Australian connection with the action camera brand that goes back fifteen years.

GoPro regional marketing manager Jason Le said Australians said GoPro’s Australian bond began 15 years ago, when the founder American Nick Woodman was on a surfing trip in Australia and wanted to take pictures of the waves he was catching.

“Ever since then Australians really have been at the forefront of the adoption of action cameras,” Mr Le said.

“We’ve always been a culture that embraces new technology and we’re lucky to enjoy the greatest brand awareness in the world of GoPro here.

“We’ve got this perfect kind of blend of lifestyle and activity that just suits the GoPro capture and ecosystem.”

GoPro does not release marketshare figures. Last year IDC research firm said GoPro had a 56.7 per cent of worldwid action camera sales.

GoPro is releasing the Hero5 Black flagship camera and the smaller Hero5 Session.

Along with being the first GoPros to work with voice command, GoPro has sought to make the Hero5 Black easier to use for general consumers, with a new touchscreen navigation system that is more like using a smartphone and a more simple one-button design in a body that is waterproof to 10m without an extra case.