PowerRay, the underwater drone for film makers and fishermen

PowerRay is an underwater drone designed to find fish and record videos. The drone features a 4K resolution camera with a 12mp photo sensor

It's called PowerRay and is made by Beijing-based Chinese company PowerVision. It is an underwater device that can find, attract fish and record video. It works at a depth of 30 meters for four hours straight at a time. It can be used in either fresh, salt or chlorine-treated water.

The PowerRay drone was greeted with much enthusiasm by tech enthusiasts at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held every year in Las Vegas. It remains to be seen how marine biologists will welcome it. PowerRay, in any case, is not a device developed for "insiders", on the contrary, the manufacturer is aiming at a target audience passionate about fish flora and fauna, not necessarily professional, but for amateur use. PowerVision Technology has produced it in three versions with increasingly advanced functions starting at a price of 1.599 euros (VAT included).

The underwater world within reach of video

Starting with the PowerRay Explorer - the basic model (1.599 euros VAT included) - equipped with a 50-meter cable that keeps the device "on a leash" at the base. The cable, in addition to preventing the drone fish from being dragged away by the current, provides it with the electricity to operate and transmit video to the base. All models, even the basic one, are equipped with a 4K camera - real-time transmission of the footage at 1080p resolution and 12 Megapixel shots at 5 frames per second - to which is added a 32 GB memory card. Lenses are provided by ZEISS. PowerRay Explorer Angler, the intermediate model (1,988 euros including VAT), allows anglers to cheat by getting closer to prey thanks to the "Powerseeker Fishfinder" function - basically a sonar - two beacons and the ability to throw a lure to catch them, all remotely. This model has built-in batteries. PowerRay Wizard is the top of the range model (2,099 euros VAT included) that includes the same features as its smaller brothers but with the addition of a viewer that allows you to fully immerse yourself in what the drone is exploring without having to get a finger wet.