Dedicated headsets for seeing live views from a drone are starting to face competition from more general purpose standalone VR headsets, for shorter range use at least.
A video posted to Reddit shows a U.S.-made quadcopter from Skydio operated from a Quest 3 with the drone’s dedicated controller wired into the headset for extended range.
A longer version of the video was also posted to Linkedin by user Oeble Huijgen with additional context on the advantages of using a Quest 3 over a phone or tablet mounted to the controller.
As described on the Linkedin post, the Quest 3 also carries some advantages over a pair of “pure” FPV goggles that are traditionally purpose-built just for controlling small aircraft on a dedicated portable screen:
Flying a drone with the controller and attached phone or tablet is a huge problem outdoors. The Quest 3 also has some advantages over a pair of “pure” FPV goggles that are traditionally built just for controlling small aircraft on a dedicated portable screen:
Flying a drone with the controller and attached phone or tablet is incredibly difficult outdoors. The or quest headsets eliminate nearly all discomfort. You get a bonus. You would require multiple screens (manuals, flight zones, etc.) )… Big screens. Skydio’s iPad app can be installed to Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro VR headset to control drones. Apple Vision Pro does not include a USB-C connector, which would severely limit the control range. Meta has adopted an “open-minded” approach for Horizon OS headsets such as Quest 3 which allows Android apps to be installed from “unknown source”. The Google Play Store is not available on Quest, but most Android applications still work. Apple Vision Pro headsets and Meta Quest VR platforms are embracing general-purpose personal computing. Google and Samsung are poised to release an
that will allow for multitasking and passthrough of current devices, as well as remote control. Last week, we discussed a remote-controlled car which is schism between Meta and Google compatible with Quest headsets.