DJI is an undisputed champion in the drone market. GoPro remains at the top in the action camera market. Both companies have tried entering each other’s industry but with little success. This dream mashup by Cédric Rouvroy combines DJI’s unmanned-flying skills with GoPro’s videography chops. The result? An action FPV drone that has the best of both worlds. With a carbon-fiber body that’s lightweight and nimble, and an action camera on the front that captures high-octane flight in GoPro’s signature style, Rouvroy’s “FPV CNCPT” drone is a dream collaboration that we really wish would happen!
Designer: Cédric Rouvroy
The drone is built in the FPV style, which prioritizes agility more than cinematic drones that focus on stability and range. To achieve this, the FPV CNCPT has a bare-basics body made entirely from carbon fiber. Thin arms prop up the four motor-powered propellers, which don’t include any protective outer bumpers in a bid to stay lightweight and efficient.
The main body features a skeletal design too. You’ve got a camera on the front, and an antenna on the back. In the middle sits the drone’s guts, which draw power from a replaceable battery pack that mounts onto the top of the drone.
A view of the battery module that sits on top of the drone.
The FPV CNCPT’s pièce de résistance, however, is that GoPro camera that sits right on the front. It isn’t your conventional GoPro Hero, but instead seems to be a bespoke action cam designed specifically for the drone. It features a multi-lens setup, which would probably mean a main camera for video capture, and a slew of sensors to help the drone avoid obstacles whenever possible. The camera is ‘bracketed’ by two light modules that form a rectangular outline around it, acting as a set of headlights that allow the drone to see where it’s going even in low-light conditions.
Given its conceptual nature, there’s not much clarity on what the rest of the drone setup looks like. What the controller’s design will be is something that’s yet to be determined, as is the VR headset that usually pairs with FPV drones, giving the person piloting the drone a first-person view of the drone’s flight (hence the name). That being said, a potential collaboration between DJI and GoPro would overwhelmingly dominate the FPV drone world… and I can’t help but hope someone’s hearing my prayers!
