Gladius Submersible Drone (GSD)

Peter Rowlands · Issue 99, Nov/Dec 2017 · pp. 46–50

Products mentioned: Gladius Submersible Drone (GSD), IF Dive App

Ever since I can remember, I have had a fascination with ROVs; magical machines which can go either deeper or for longer than I can, controlled from the surface and sending video images back for viewing or recording. My fascination stayed just that as the costs of such machines were prohibitive but earlier this year I heard of a crowdfunding project for a Gladius Submersible Drone (GSD). It looked great, promised a lot and, for early investors, cost just over £1100. I was not alone, it seems, for there were hundreds out there like me who flocked to support the project. Fast forward about nine months when an impressive package arrived and for the first time I was seriously tempted to do one of those sad ‘unboxing’ videos for YouTube. To be honest I forgot all about once I lifted the lid on the aluminium case and saw my GSD. I was genuinely delighted with what I saw. The quality of design …