Uploaded April 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Aerones has developed a drone to use for droneboarding, a new sport that's just what it sounds like — a snowboarder being pulled through the snow by a powerful drone.
The drone prototype is the work of Latvian specialists Aerones and they are putting their invention through its paces, with up to four snowboarders being dragged across the ice at a time.
“It seems to be a successful test,” says Janis Putrams, 35, wearing a broad grin, not least because as Aerones CEO he is in charge of the enormous remote control unit used to steer the drone’s flight.
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“We started thinking about it two years ago. It was a sort of Friday afternoon idea and we just wondered if it would be possible,” Putrams told AFP.
They first built a small four-propeller drone before using it to test out droneboarding about a year ago.
“But the idea was always to build something big, to see how much power it could have. Luckily in Latvia we have both great engineers and great winters, so it’s ideal for droneboarding,” says the soft-spoken engineer.
In theory the top speed is around 150 kilometres per hour (94 miles per hour), but piloting becomes difficult at that velocity, so today droneboarders have to make do with speeds of around 60 kph.
Even though flight times are still restricted to around 10 minutes using on-board batteries, a drone weighing 55 kilogrammes (121 pounds) is able to lift up to 145 kilogrammes.
While the winter sports potential of the drones is considerable, the real motivation for developing them is rooted in that lifting power, says Putrams.
Having cost 35,000 euros ($37,000) to build, Aerones is now looking to partner with companies and organisations working in firefighting as well as search and rescue to take the project to its next stage.
“It’s not just for droneboarding. We could use it to lift someone from the roof of a burning building, or a hose could be sprayed on parts of a fire that would be inaccessible to ladders,” says Putrams.
“If there was a connected power supply instead of batteries, the flight times would be limitless,” he says.
While he’s optimistic about the future of his business, Putrams acknowledges that “there will need to be a lot of certification before we see large numbers of these drones operating commercially, to make sure only safe drones are used.”
Putrams says his company isn't just interested in drones for sports. Aerones' biggest goal, he says, is to use them for firefighting and human rescue. The company has figured out a way to have a drone pick up a hose and point it toward a burning building, reaching areas too high for a ladder. A power cable can be added so the drone is not limited by time or batteries, Putrams says.
And because of the lifting power of the drones, Putrams says they could be used to rescue people trapped on a roof or on an icy lake.
Aerones has developed a drone to use for droneboarding, a new sport that's just what it sounds like — a snowboarder being pulled through the snow by a powerful drone.
The drone prototype is the work of Latvian specialists Aerones and they are putting their invention through its paces, with up to four snowboarders being dragged across the ice at a time.
“It seems to be a successful test,” says Janis Putrams, 35, wearing a broad grin, not least because as Aerones CEO he is in charge of the enormous remote control unit used to steer the drone’s flight.
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“We started thinking about it two years ago. It was a sort of Friday afternoon idea and we just wondered if it would be possible,” Putrams told AFP.
They first built a small four-propeller drone before using it to test out droneboarding about a year ago.
“But the idea was always to build something big, to see how much power it could have. Luckily in Latvia we have both great engineers and great winters, so it’s ideal for droneboarding,” says the soft-spoken engineer.
In theory the top speed is around 150 kilometres per hour (94 miles per hour), but piloting becomes difficult at that velocity, so today droneboarders have to make do with speeds of around 60 kph.
Even though flight times are still restricted to around 10 minutes using on-board batteries, a drone weighing 55 kilogrammes (121 pounds) is able to lift up to 145 kilogrammes.
While the winter sports potential of the drones is considerable, the real motivation for developing them is rooted in that lifting power, says Putrams.
Having cost 35,000 euros ($37,000) to build, Aerones is now looking to partner with companies and organisations working in firefighting as well as search and rescue to take the project to its next stage.
“It’s not just for droneboarding. We could use it to lift someone from the roof of a burning building, or a hose could be sprayed on parts of a fire that would be inaccessible to ladders,” says Putrams.
“If there was a connected power supply instead of batteries, the flight times would be limitless,” he says.
While he’s optimistic about the future of his business, Putrams acknowledges that “there will need to be a lot of certification before we see large numbers of these drones operating commercially, to make sure only safe drones are used.”
Putrams says his company isn't just interested in drones for sports. Aerones' biggest goal, he says, is to use them for firefighting and human rescue. The company has figured out a way to have a drone pick up a hose and point it toward a burning building, reaching areas too high for a ladder. A power cable can be added so the drone is not limited by time or batteries, Putrams says.
And because of the lifting power of the drones, Putrams says they could be used to rescue people trapped on a roof or on an icy lake.
