8:47 AM
The makers of the Erle-Spider drone have taken the next step for their product, and they are now offering it on the official website. Until now, the only way of getting one of those things has been through the crowdfunding campaign they had on Indiegogo.
Unfortunately, the campaign wasn't a success and they didn't get the money they wanted. It required fixed funding, as such none of the funds will be going to the project. That hasn't stopped the team, and they are now trying to reach their goal the old-fashioned way, by attempting to sell the drones.
Everyone is excited about flying drones and that's fine, but it doesn't mean that all drones need to fly. As the name suggests, the Erle-Spider is a drone that walks, but it's much smarter than a regular one. It has an operating system and developers can create apps specifically for it, which can be deployed with the help of the Ubuntu Snappy Core and its store.
You can choose to build it yourself
One of the interesting things about the Erle-Spider drone is that you can buy the DIY (do it yourself) version. It comes with all the instructions you might need, and it's certainly one of the best ways of spending a weekend. What could be more fun than building your own drone, which you then program to do anything you want.
"Erle-Spider is a Linux-based legged drone powered by Ubuntu and based totally in ROS, the Robot Operating System. A fully functional Linux computer that includes onboard sensors, exposes several I/O interfaces and can be controlled and programmed over WiFi, Bluetooth and even 3G and 4G networks," reads the official website.
The cheapest version you can buy right now costs just €499 ($550), but you can add stuff like a camera, a better Wi-Fi antenna, and an extra battery, which will obviously increase the price.
