GoPro CEO Reveals Plans to Get Into Drones, Virtual Reality Camera

Shares of GoPro (GPRO) rose in Thursday trading after reports that the video camera-maker is getting into the drones business. GoPro chief executive officer Nick Woodman announced at the Code Conference on Wednesday that the company is planning a 'quadcopter,' otherwise known as a drone, that will be outfitted with a camera. Woodman said the quadcopter will be focused on consumers and is expected to become available in the first half of next year. He called it 'in some ways the ultimate GoPro accessory.' He said the company will work with other manufacturers to provide cameras and software solutions, although GoPro is developing the hardware itself. The company is also planning to debut a ball-shaped, six-camera attachment called the Six-Camera Spherical Array that would enable users to record 360-degree videos for virtual reality purposes. The attachment would reportedly house six Hero4 cameras that shoot various directions simultaneously.