GoPro launches Karma drone and voice-controlled Hero5

The drone is designed to be carried outdoors in a backpack

Camera-maker GoPro has unveiled a foldable drone that fits in a backpack.

The Karma aircraft also features a detachable stabiliser that can be used to make handheld shots more steady. In addition, the firm unveiled a new action camera that can be controlled with voice commands as well as a pay-to-use video sharing service.

GoPro says the Karma's use of a front-facing camera means its rotor blades will seldom appear in shot

GoPro hopes the launches will turn around its fortunes. The firm posted losses for each of its last three quarters totalling $233.7m (£179m).

GoPro's chief executive said the Karma drone had been designed to be "incredibly portable"

The drone's stabiliser can also be attached to a handheld grip

The company's shares were trading at more than 80% below their July 2014 high ahead of its launch event - which was held at Squaw Valley, California.

Foldable drone

 

GoPro first announced that it planned to make its own drone in May 2015 and had planned for it to go on sale in the first half of this year. The move presents an opportunity for it to profit from a fast-growing market.

The Phantom 4 is bulkier but includes collision-avoidance tech

But it also helps the firm address the fact that DJI the bestselling drone brand has ditched support for GoPro's cameras in favour of its own, while 3D Robotics another popular manufacturer is now promoting the use of a rival camera made by Sony.

The GoPro Hero5 Black camera will accept voice commands in seven languages at launch

The Karma is not the first commercial foldable drone, but the feature is still relatively unusual. GoPro says the move allows its aircraft to be carried about in a relatively small backpack that is "so comfortable... users will forget they've got it on".

The Hero5 Black can be used underwater without a protective case

The Karma's other distinctive detail is its removable three-axis stabiliser. It can be fitted to a bundled grip and then held in the hand or attached to a helmet to film Steadicam-like shots.

Normally, filmmakers would be required to buy a separate device known as a gimbal, to achieve this.
The drone will cost $799 (£612) and will be released on 23 October. When bundled with the new Hero5 Black camera, it will cost $1099.

GoPro Plus offers the firm a chance to continue earning money after selling its hardware

That is $100 less than DJI's Phantom 4 - which includes collision-avoidance sensors, which the Karma lacks - but $100 more than the Chinese company's last-generation Phantom 3 Professional.

The research firm IHS Markit predicts sales of consumer drones will rise from three million units this year to 6.7 million units in 2020.

"The target market for consumer drones and action cams is very similar, so it makes sense for GoPro to do this," commented its senior director of consumer electronics, Tom Morrod.

"And maybe it can carry it off because of its brand. "But what differentiates one drone from another is its flight control and navigation systems, which are typically developed in-house by the different companies.

"That technology is very different to what GoPro's done before and can be complex to develop.
"So, GoPro must convince consumers of its abilities or will not find this an easy sell."