The PowerRay is a robot fishing buddy you never knew you wanted
Made for recreational freshwater, saltwater or ice fishing, the deep-diving robot lets you find and lure fish while you stay dry.
- More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
The PowerRay is a deep-diving robot for fishing.
Robotics company PowerVision grabbed headlines last year with its PowerEgg, which, true to its name is a quadcopter shaped like an egg. Its latest robot doesn't fly, though: It swims.
Designed for fishing hobbyists, the PowerRay can dive 30 meters (98 feet) underwater for up to four hours to give you a view from its integrated 4K UHD camera using an app on any iOS or Android mobile device via Wi-Fi (presumably with the help of a floating antenna). The app lets you control the robot and its camera and gives you position information and other data to help you find fish.
Add on the PowerRay Fishfinder sonar system, though, and you'll be able to detect fish up to 40 meters (131 feet) below the PowerRay. The Fishfinder has a built-in blue light to lure fish into view. You can also use an optional remote bait drop that comes with the PowerRay to attract fish.
And if you really want to immerse yourself in the underwater experience, PowerVision will have VR goggles that respond to head tilting. This will allow you to actually move the robot around so you can look up, down, left and right.
A global preorder for the PowerRay starts on February 27, but pricing has not been announced. PowerVision will be doing demos at CES 2017, but sadly without live fish because of a "no live animals" policy for the convention.