(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Form and functionThe PowerRay, a submersible drone attached to a fishing line, can take a lot of the guesswork out of fishing. The fish finder spots fish, relays their position to the user, and attracts them with a built-in light and a bait drop. Innovator: Wally ZhengAge: 39Chief executive officer of 500-employee drone maker PowerVision Technology Group in Beijing
1. SetupThe 8-pound drone can run for about four hours on a two-hour charge as far as 98 feet below the surface. It uses sonar to collect data from surrounding objects, which accompanying software analyzes in search of fish. 2. UseThe PowerRay relays images to an accompanying handheld controller or smartphone attached via a 150-foot cable. The drone can drop bait near a hook and shine its light to lure fish. OriginZheng, who has an MBA with a background in robotics, came up with the idea for PowerRay at a trade show in 2015, when he noticed there weren’t any submersible drones for consumers. PriceThere are three models, priced at $1,488, $1,799, and $1,888. The cheapest lacks the bait-drop feature; the costliest has a longer tether cable. Next StepsPowerVision says it will start shipping the drones in June. It hopes their appeal will extend beyond fishermen to scientists, filmmakers, and underwater sports enthusiasts. Colin Snow, founder of Skylogic Research LLC, says, “It’s a viable product—the price is right—but it’s an unknown market.”
To contact the author of this story: Adam Popescu in Washington at adampopescu@gmail.com.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeff Muskus at jmuskus@bloomberg.net.
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