Aug 17 2015
OriginGPS today announced that TobyRich has integrated OriginGPS’ Nano Hornet into the first smartphone controlled gaming drone line, to extend its range and enhance its directional capabilities.
tobyrich.vegas (Photo: Business Wire).
By leveraging the Nano Hornet, the world’s smallest GPS module with an integrated antenna, TobyRich was able to design a smaller, sleeker form factor for its innovative drones while taking advantage of OriginGPS’ outstanding performance and low power consumption features.
TobyRich, established in 2011 and with deep experience in designing smartphone-controlled drones, launched a Kickstarter campaign that will run until August 28 to offer a new, more interactive experience for video gamers and drone enthusiasts across the globe.
The agile drones blend realistic flight maneuvers with innovative interactive gameplay and are designed to resemble an airplane rather than a quadcopter to extend flight time and carry more payload than traditional drones without compromising on functionality or performance. The drones can easily be controlled within a range of 90 meters via the tobyrich.red mobile app, which is available on iOS and Android.
TobyRich’s drones combine the immersive experience of video games with the exhilaration of real flight to unlock possibilities such as mid-air battles, races, stunts and other gaming scenarios, plus additional applications such as aerial photography and video. Single and multiplayer gaming modes enable video gamers to live out their flight fantasies with friends or solo. To meet users’ exact interests, several different versions are in development, including the basic tobyrich.vegas model, tobyrich.tokyo which features a HD camera and tobyrich.guru, a 4G/LTE-enabled drone.
With the help of OriginGPS, a TobyRich drone knows exactly where it is in relation to a user’s smart device, with unprecedented accuracy, allowing it to respond immediately and precisely to gesture controls or on-screen joysticks. OriginGPS’ location capabilities ensure that a drone will automatically return to its point of origin or a pre-programmed destination if it strays too far from its corresponding smart device or flight path, which reduces user frustration, minimizes human error and increases safety.
Measuring just 10 by 10mm, the OriginGPS Nano Hornet module powers TobyRich’s flight management system by achieving a rapid time to first fix (TTFF) of less than one second, with approximately one meter accuracy and -163dBm tracking sensitivity, and it utilizes OriginGPS’ proprietary Noise Free Zone technology to increase sensitivity and minimize interference. It achieves a state of near continuous availability, while consuming mere microwatts of battery power, ensuring maximal power is devoted to increasing drone flight times. Because OriginGPS’ modules are complete, plug and play solutions, they significantly shorten time to market and dramatically reduce engineering risks.
Supporting Quotes
“Our passion for flying drives us as a company, so when designing our new line of drones, it was incredibly important for all of our electronics to be ultra-lightweight, to pack the most functionality for users into the smallest form factor,” said Ulrich Ditschler, CEO and co-founder of TobyRich. “We also needed a plug and play solution that we could integrate into our designs quickly and easily. OriginGPS is far ahead of the curve and it was the only company that produced a GPS module that fit our board and met all of our needs. Because of OriginGPS, our technology is three times smaller than other solutions and we have been able to create a revolutionary gaming experience.”
“TobyRich’s drones are an excellent example of the potential for location based services to provide new experiences for consumers,” said Gal Jacobi, CEO of OriginGPS. “As with many other cutting-edge Internet of Things technologies, such as wearable devices, drones require fully featured components that have a small footprint and low power consumption. Yet, few drones currently on the market include embedded GPS or GNSS modules, although they are tremendously beneficial to help UAVs stay on course. TobyRich recognized the opportunity to bring drones into a new realm of gaming by adding improved location functionality and created a product with a slim and light form factor. We believe that TobyRich is poised to offer consumers breathtaking new experiences, which will spread the joy of flight to new audiences.”