ZANO Drone Integrates OriginGPS’ GPS Module with Integrated Antenna

OriginGPS today announced that Torquing Group has integrated OriginGPS’ Nano Hornet in ZANO, one of the world’s smallest consumer-grade drones, to provide location information for automated flight while acting as a hands free camera.

ZANO’s location capabilities are powered by OriginGPS’ Nano Hornet, the world’s smallest GPS module with an integrated antenna. Measuring just 10mm by 10mm by 3.44mm, the Nano Hornet delivers outstanding performance and sensitivity with low power consumption. It achieves a rapid time to first fix (TTFF) of less than one second, with approximately one meter accuracy and -163dBm tracking sensitivity. Because it detects changes in context, temperature, and satellite signals, it achieves a state of near continuous availability, while consuming mere microwatts of precious battery power.

Since 2008, Torquing Group has a deep heritage in creating small and sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the military and defense industry, and it has now extended its expertise to the consumer market with the launch of its Kickstarter campaign for ZANO.

ZANO is a portable, personal aerial photography and video platform. With miniature measurements of 65mm by 65mm and a weight of only 55 grams, it fits in the palm of users’ hands. Its ability to fly autonomously will provide new possibilities for users seeking to capture images and videos. It connects directly with smart devices (iOS or Android) via onboard Wi-Fi to upload and shares images or videos instantly. OriginGPS’ Micro Hornet adds location information to ZANO, while keeping its size small and light.

With the help of OriginGPS, ZANO is able to know exactly where it is in relation to a smart device, even when powered off. Through a virtual tether, ZANO will echo any movement made by the smart device it is synced to, with simple gesture control. ZANO is also able to function in a “Free Flight” mode, which uses on-screen joysticks for an experience similar to a regular RC-operated UAV. OriginGPS’ location capabilities allow ZANO to know if it is getting too far from its corresponding smart device and automatically return. Likewise, it is able to recognize its distance from the smart device and maintain that distance in “Follow me” mode.

To further push the boundaries of GPS modules designed to be small, agile and light weight, OriginGPS recently introduced the Nano Spider, the world’s smallest fully integrated GPS receiver. The Nano Spider module is designed to support ultra-compact applications where size is at a premium, such as smart watches, wearable devices, trackers and digital cameras. Like the Nano Hornet, it packs a wide range of functionality into its small form factor, including dual-stage LNA, RF LDO, SAW filter, TCXO, RTC crystal and RF shield with market-leading SiRFstarIV™ GPS SoC.

Supporting Quotes

“To put it simply, ZANO would not exist without OriginGPS,” said Reece Crowther, head of Sales and Marketing, Torquing Group. “The GPS feature of ZANO is the heart and soul of the product, and because we have pushed the boundaries of UAV size, no other product on the market could provide the power of ZANO at the same minimal size and weight. Picking OriginGPS to power ZANO was a no-brainer.”

“Fully-featured, high-performance components that have minimal size and power consumption enable developers to create innovative devices with the smaller form factors that consumers demand without compromising functionality,” said Gal Jacobi, CEO of OriginGPS. “Torquing Group is tapping into a rich market of smartphone users who are eager to utilize personal UAVs to better capture important moments in their lives, and we believe consumers will latch onto ZANO. With the help of OriginGPS, ZANO can draw on extremely accurate positioning information to provide the advanced controls that will delight its users while maintaining a small and sleek exterior.”