By Jo O’Reilly

Image courtesy of Evoque photography

YOUR HARLOW met with local inventor Steven Tisseyre to discuss his new creation. The former engineer took his passion for photography to new heights when he realised he wanted to be able to take photos, from the sky. Two years and several complicated sounding prototypes later, he had created his first unmanned aviation vehicle. The device could carry his SLR camera up into the air and enable him to to take aerial images, without leaving the ground.

Drawing on years of engineering expertise, Tisseyre found that recent advances in technology would allow him to get the project off the ground without the kind of spending power previously required, ‘You don’t need to outsource to major manufacturers anymore to produce this sort of thing.’

The vehicle which can reach heights of up to 400 ft is made from carbon fibre, which is crucially both light and yet strong enough to hold an SLR camera. Equally important, the vehicle is able to hold the camera steady enough to take high quality images no matter what the British weather has in store. The project which took eighteen months from conception is also fitted with GPS technology and a wireless remote control which enables the user to control the camera and take pictures from the ground.

Tisseyre has high hopes for the future of his project which is now being supported by the Essex County Council Innovation team, ‘My hope is to see this used in areas that will assist everyday life’.

‘The vehicle enables users to gain a different perspective on the world without the expense of hiring a conventional helicopter.’ It is possible that what started as a photographer’s hobby could in the future provide the technology required in areas such as construction and development projects, environmental monitoring, urban search and rescue and traffic observation for a fraction of the normal cost.