Have you ever dreamed of taking pictures of the atmosphere, but were too afraid to do so while parachuting, on a helicopter, or flying? (Okay, that last one was probably just your dream, unless you’re a superhero). Maybe you’ve actually thought about taping a smartphone or camera onto a balloon and just letting it fly in the air and hope it will come back. That’s exactly what Casa de Balloon Club did, but only more well-planned and well-executed, thankfully.
This group is the first featured in the new Made With Android web series from Google which will follow stories of people who have been using Android devices and software to make creative, innovative, or life-changing projects. This club has been using Android smartphones and created an open source app for those who’d want to make studies in the sky or atmosphere, or even those who are just curious on what it would look like up there and what other things you can study or learn just by floating a smartphone up in the air.
But this wasn’t just any whim of the moment thing for the members of the club. They’ve been doing this since last year and have had four official launches since then. The video published on the YouTube channel of Google Developers shows one of their earlier launches, and they talked a bit about the details, including why they didn’t use regular lithium batteries (they will probably freeze up in the air), and how they were able to track the balloon from lift off to when it finally landed.
Of course the video had to highlight why the Android platform was the best one to use in terms of equipment (there was also an Android camera included aside from the smartphone) and also with regards to the open-source app that they created. To find out more about the details of their launches, go to the Casa de Balloon Club website.
