Quad-copters and fixed-wing drones are becoming increasingly common as several companies, such as DJI and GoPro, have released their different offerings to the hungry drone market. However, the professional underwater drone market is still quite unsaturated as there are still quite a few devices to choose from. Now, a startup company is trying to raise funds to bring to the market a new remote controlled submarine called the Gladius.

As reported by Tech Crunch, the Gladius is an underwater drone that is capable of taking 4K video and is able to dive up to 100 meters. The crowd-funded project is aimed at bringing to the market a truly professional underwater camera drone that could be used by a variety of people, either for recreation, exploration, underwater photography, reconnaissance, or other tasks that would require video and photos at extreme depths.

The company that produces the Gladius underwater drone is currently creating two variants, namely a 1080p standard model and a 4K advanced model. The drone can be launched directly into the sea with its accompanying Wi-Fi Buoy that tethers the drone to the surface.

Users can control the drone up to 30 meters away from the buoy. The drone also comes equipped with two 1,200-lumen LED arrays that should be helpful for depths where light in unable to penetrate. The yellow double-cylinder drone also comes with a controller that attaches to any smartphone.

Much like a conventional aerial drone, the device will have four degrees of freedom, which means that the variety of shots and angles that can be taken with the camera are endless. A pledge of $599 on the project's Indiegogo page will include a standard model, while a pledge of $799 will include an advanced model. The company announced that the estimated retail price for the standard and advanced models will be around $1,399 and $1,699, respectively.