IR-LOCK gives Drones Infrared (IR) Tracking Capabilities

ATLANTA - Sept. 4, 2014 - PRLog -- IR-LOCK has quickly exceeded their $5,000 Kickstarter goal in just a few days, and they are still going strong. Thomas Stone, the lead developer for IR-LOCK, is a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a drone enthusiast. His product is a modified version of the popular Pixy vision sensor, which raised over $250,000 in 2013. The ‘IR-LOCK Pixy’ can accurately track IR markers at distances of over 50 ft. This has many potential applications in robotics, videography, and of course, drones.

“Only a few days after releasing the Kickstarter, we have received many requests to integrate IR-LOCK into various camera gimbals, drones, and drones w/ gimbals. The market need is very clear.”      –Thomas Stone, IR-LOCK lead developer

Most of the IR-LOCK demos exhibit footage shot by a quadcopter carrying an IR-LOCK sensor and a GoPro camera. The new technology allows the pilot to focus on flying the quad, while the IR-LOCK sensor automatically keeps the camera on-target. This could usher in significant advances for the already successful drone videography industry. Flying a quadcopter is not as easy as some may think; simultaneously managing the quad AND a camera can be quite a challenge. IR-LOCK could enable automatic camera control, so long as the target is wearing an IR marker.

An IR marker consists of just a few IR LEDs and a battery, which are easily integrated into hats, armbands, RC cars, etc. IR-LOCK is offering an $89 ‘developers kit’ that allows Makers to create and track their own IR markers. There is also a $99 ‘plug-&-track kit’, which includes a pre-soldered IR marker. These seem to be good deals, since the Pixy itself costs around $70.

Additional Information:

Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/258964655/ir-lock-infrared-target-tracking-for-drones-and-di

Demo Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJP2waosBhXhrwlsL7QMIRw

High-Res Images: http://irlock.com/pages/images-for-download-and-distribution

‘About Us’ page: http://irlock.com/pages/press

Website: www.irlock.com