News

AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs

Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.

Published

1 week ago

November 1, 2025

Nour Nasir

AltoVolo

AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.

The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.

“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.

The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.

To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.

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Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.

Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.

News

RØDE Unveils Wireless Micro Camera Kit For Hybrid Shooters

The new kit brings camera connectivity to the Australian audio company’s compact wireless mic line.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 30, 2025

Joanna Melki

rode unveils wireless micro camera kit for hybrid shooters

RØDE

RØDE has launched the Wireless Micro Camera Kit, adding universal camera support to its popular pocket-sized microphone range.

The system builds on the Wireless Micro, which reshaped smartphone content recording, and brings the same audio quality to mirrorless and DSLR setups. The new on-camera receiver carries both 3.5 mm TRS and USB-C outputs, plus a 1.1-inch AMOLED screen for quick visual control. Intelligent GainAssist automatically levels audio, while plug-in power detection turns the receiver on and off with the camera.

Each kit includes two transmitters with in-built microphones, a USB-C smartphone receiver, and a compact charging case offering up to 21 hours of operation. The transmitters clip or mount magnetically, and integrated windshields cut noise during outdoor shoots. For mobile workflows, iOS users can connect via Bluetooth through the RØDE Capture app.

rode wireless micro camera kit

“The Wireless Micro Camera Kit represents the next evolution of our mission to make premium audio accessible to all creators,” said RØDE CEO Damien Wilson. “By expanding the Wireless Micro’s capabilities to include universal camera connectivity, we’ve created a consolidated creative solution that’s not only more powerful, but incredibly flexible and simple to use. No matter how or where you create, the Camera Kit empowers you to tell your story with pristine sound, any way you decide to deliver it”.

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The Camera Kit marks RØDE’s second-generation camera receiver, a follow-up to the original platform that helped define the company’s wireless range. The first generation remains available for existing users through an exchange program.

Priced at US$149, the new kit ships globally. It reinforces RØDE’s position in the creator hardware market, now crowded with brands chasing hybrid video makers. In the MENA region, where digital production and social media video continue to expand under national digitalization drives, such flexible tools are fast becoming part of the basic creative toolkit.