CES 2016: 360fly plans drone Superman experience

Ever wondered what the world below looks like to Superman? It’s no longer such pie-in-the-sky concept

360fly CEO Peter Adderton with the new 4K (ultra high definition) 360-degree camera

Australians involved in one of technology’s revolutionary videos platforms plan to build drones that offer consumers the experience of flying through the sky unaided, as if they were Superman.

The drones will have a 360-degree video camera on board that captures video from all perspectives and delivers it wirelessly to virtual reality headsets on the ground.

It’s part of the agenda of 360fly, a Pittsburg-based company headed by Australian Peter Adderton with several compatriots involved. In 2000 Mr Adderton founded Boost Mobile before becoming CEO of mobile solutions firm Mandalay Digital.

360fly is making one of the hottest new tech gadgets, 360-degree cameras that consumers can use to create their own virtual reality (VR) movies.

A consumer who watches the footage through a VR headset can look around and experience the illusion of being at the location.

360fly released its first 360-degree camera in September last year, but the resolution was VGA quality. Yesterday it announced a 4K higher resolution version, available in Australia in April. It also announced a variant of the camera with a flat base that can be fully integrated into a helmet.

The new cameras can live stream 360-degree video via an HDMI connection from the camera to an internet-connected computer. Consumers with headsets can be thrust live into another part of the world.

The cameras also can shoot conventional 4K video without the 360-degree panorama. And when mounted on a pushbike, they can warn a rider about the traffic behind. The rear view can be displayed on a smartphone screen mounted on the handlebars.

360-degree action also can be shared on Facebook and YouTube.

Mr Adderton said sales of the camera had been “unbelievable”. “We could have sold another 5000 in America had I been able to make them.” Three other Australians: Jason Hayes, Nick Segger and Michael Lanzon are helping build the brand.

Drones and virtual reality were big ticket items at CES 2016. There wasn’t great new inventions but there were some dazzling developments in emerging technology nonetheless.

The three main virtual reality platforms: Sony PlayStation VR, Facebook’s Oculus and HTC’s Vive collaboration with the Steam gaming platform were all on show and participants at CES had a chance to sample each.

Drones too were a big part of CES. There were consumer drones, commercial drones that a farmer could remotely control to spray crops, and sports drones that record video action such as skiing and trail bike riding from above.

High dynamic range (HDR) was a buzz word in the TV realm. As well as offering 4K (ultra high definition) resolution, manufacturers are making TVs with a higher range of colours. At Las Vegas Netflix announced it would offer HDR content to customers. A local Las Vegas station broadcast TV with HDR.

We saw the latest driverless car technology from companies such as BMW, which demonstrated a car that parks itself without a driver or passenger on board.

Technology giant Intel showed off its button-sized Curie, a computer chip that can measure athletic performance and deliver the metrics to viewers. Intel says it will be used at the Winter X Games at Aspin and at Red Bull events. ESPN viewers will have access to the performance statistics during competition.

Chris Griffith travelled to Las Vegas courtesy of Sony and Acer.