It's a bird! It's a plane! Nope. It's SkyPan.

SkyPan International's 360-degree panoramic, picture-taking, flying robot granted a U.S. Patent.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 18, 2007 -- SkyPan International, an aerial imaging company based in Chicago but with clients all over the country, has been granted a U.S. Patent for its method and apparatus for creating seamless, 360-degree panoramic images. They shoot from their small (5 ft. wing span), camera-equipped, mini-helicopter -- otherwise known as an RPV (Remote Piloted Vehicle).

While SkyPan also shoots assignments using full-sized helicopters, their patented mini-helicopter allows them to fly in the band of space where there are few other means to shoot. That is, they fly above the reach of cranes and below where full-sized copters are permitted. Since 9/11, FAA regulations have not allowed full-sized helicopters to fly within 1,000 feet of building rooftops.

Everywhere they fly, crowds of curious onlookers gaze skyward in fascination to watch the mini-helicopter as it flies its mission. The Skypan ship is a distant cousin to the mini-aircraft flown by hobbyists at suburban air shows. But none of those aircraft have what SkyPan has: over 10 years and thousands of dollars of research and development. And none of those RPVs have a specially-modified panoramic camera, an award-winning photographer, and an ace pilot as part of the package.

Most SkyPan clients (primarily high-rise real estate developers) hire SkyPan when they need to show an actual -- not a simulated -- panoramic view at heights between 100 and 400 feet. Their RPV technology allows the creation of imagery that is difficult to create any other way and is essential to pre-construction marketing images.

About SkyPan International: Skypan has been creating 360-degree, seamless panoramic photography from aerial platforms for 20 years. Most of SkyPan's clients are domestic and international real estate development firms who desire unique images of their properties' views. The images are most often shot during the early development phase. Other industries who benefit from SkyPan's technology are golf /resort developers and master-plan architects. SkyPan's innovative RPV was featured at the inaugural NextFest (Wired magazine's innovative "Fair of the Future"), and in press such as Crain's Chicago Business, Forbes magazine, the South Florida Business Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times.

Contact: Mark Segal, President
SkyPan International
711 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622

Tel:1-312-491-8776

www.skypanintl.com

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