The First Smart Graffiti Drone for Pre-Order

02 Dec 2019, 11:29
The First Smart Graffiti Drone for Pre-Order


This really is the merging of two worlds. The first drone designed specially for spray paint application has just gone live for pre-order. We’ve seen DIY graffiti drone jobs in the past but this marks the first time there’s a product consumers can actually buy and fly themselves. In the words of the creator himself, "It reaches unreachable surfaces. It paints at enormous scale. It will kick off a new era in art & activism." 



The artist/brand we have to thank for this advancement is KATSU. Dubbed the KATSURU BETA, the drone is semi-autonomous but can also be controlled manually. It uses advanced sensors and software to detect and cling to walls hundreds of feet high, with 10-minutes of flight per charge. But luckily, it just uses regular spray cans. KATSU has big plans for his semi-autonomous graffiti drone though, namely the autonomous part. The artist says, “[the drone] will be upgradable in late 2020 to full autonomous painting with a vision kit.” This means, in theory, you could have a digital illustration uploaded and carried out automatically by the drone. 

Each of these early pre-order editions of the KATSURU BETA will be signed by KATSU himself. Pre-orders are now open until 1 January 2020. You can pre-order one right now for about R37 000 ($2500).