Sometimes you have to make a choice you cannot know for certain is the right one.
I’ve decided to issue refunds for the preorders and to halt product development. I do not believe that the small niche this product is going after will be enough to sustain it in the medium to long term.
The technology is solid and so is the product. I hope it will keep on living in the shadows due to some IP licensing deals, but I just don’t see the commercial, user-facing version as a viable business model. I applaud companies and designers that somehow managed to make it work for them, and I hope they are not secretly loosing money.
I’m very grateful to everyone that supported me during those years, and I’m sorry I’ve let you down.
It was a pleasure sharing this dream with you.
Davide
Bummer… I’m still hopeful for you and will keep watching your site. I’d much rather have the hardware than the refund. Thank you for your efforts, Davide! Wish you the absolute best!
Can I help ?
I’ve been watching this project since the original version waiting for a second iteration and I’m sorry to hear you are having problems. Bringing a product to market is often difficult in its own right and requires a different set of skills. Design, manufacturing, testing a piece of equipment like this is was a daunting task in and of itself and you have done an excellent job of that. Is there any way that this will end up getting released to us? Or some way we can make it happen on a smaller scale but more expense? We still want to experience your device, and help you make your dream fly Davide.
So, what’s wrong with trying Kickstarter or another crowdfunding platform? Probably, this was already discussed, but I can’t see any reason not to give it a try. You just need to extend the base, so to speak, and present it as a stand-alone nearly-instantaneous video-link for all those that need to have their eyes in far-away places.
I would park the idea for now and not dissolve it. Just see how the industry shapes up over the next year or so. Who knows what will happen with the current companies providing the products currently on the market, and who knows how your skills could be re-purposed for things maybe don’t even exist yet.
But yes, its a very very tough market to operate in, they say working with cutting edge technology is also known as the bleeding edge. Man MANY technology companies have gone down with massive debt because they didn’t read the market properly.
I really like this product, will he open source
I really hope he open sources the hardware and software but I’m afraid it’s not possible due to some licensing shenanigans.
Not, due to being very handy for unauthorized military usage. Cheap digital fpv made from of the shelf ic’s is a wet dream for terrorists and third world country armies.