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Zano drone returns after multi-million dollar crowdfunding failure
You might not know many micro-drones by name, but there's a chance you know Zano. Unfortunately, that's because it was one of the more controversial Kickstarter failures of recent times. Zano raised over $3 million in late 2014, before being shown at CES 2015. The promise was simple, a palm-sized drone with the self-flying and photography smarts of something much bigger (and much more expensive).
Kickstarter explains why the Zano drone project went bust
If you were left wondering how the team behind the Zano mini drone could raise so much crowdfunding cash only to crash and burn within the space of a year, you're not alone. Kickstarter commissioned journalist Mark Harris to find out what went wrong, and he just published his findings this week. In short, it's a classic case of biting off more than you can chew. Torquing Group promised a lot (we even put it on our CES 2015 short list), but came to realize that it didn't have the skills or resources to meet expectations. Moreover, the company had a "dangerous lack of self-awareness" -- it didn't realize just how much trouble it was in until it was too late.
ICYMI: Robotic cats, Kickstarter fails and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54028{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54028, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54028{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-54028").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: In today's cautionary tale, the recordbreaking drone company Zano Drone is going belly-up after shipping only 100 of the roughly 15,000 drones ordered. Hasbro's latest foray into robotics has us all shouting from the tallest meowtain, because they've launched companion cats that purr and meow and are generally fantastic. NASA's latest robot is less cuddly but perhaps has more scientific importance: The humanoid Valkyrie, weighing in at 210 pounds, will be shipped to US colleges where AI students will develop programs for NASA's upcoming Space Robotics Challenge.
Zano mini drone project shuts down following delays
The Zano mini drone project held a lot promise: not only was it supposed to make camera drones affordable, but it was Europe's most successful Kickstarter campaign to date. Unfortunately, though, all those hopes have just come crashing down. Torquing Group is shutting down the tiny UAV project and liquidating its corporate assets. Simply put, the company didn't have much choice between delays (Zano was supposed to ship in June) and internal strife -- its CEO had resigned a week earlier due to a mix of health problems and "irreconcilable differences."
Zano's tiny drone wants to make aerial photography cheaper
If there's one problem with using a drone for aerial photography, it's that the cost of buying one is prohibitively high. It's not likely that regular folks are going to splash out the better part of a thousand dollars on a drone and more for an action cam to accompany them just for noodling around. That's the issue that the Torquing Group is aiming to remedy with the Zano, a nano drone that wants to bring the price down to under $300, enabling many more people to take the plunge.
