Motrr Galileo motion platform finally gets the GoPro compatibility you’ve been waiting for

by Mike Tomkins

posted Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 7:54 PM EDT

Finally, it's here! When Motrr first launched its clever Galileo 360-degree motion platform for the iPhone and iPod Touch some two and a half years ago, we were even more intrigued by a glimpse of a GoPro action camera mounted on the platform. As of a year ago, plans for GoPro compatibility had been temporarily shelved due to connectivity issues.

Those issues, it seems, have been resolved and the GoPro mount -- compatible with the Hero3, Hero3+ and Hero4 models -- is expected to begin shipping within two weeks. So what can you do with a GoPro and the Galileo motion platform? Watch the video below, shot during the daily Symphony of Lights show on the Hong Kong harbor, for just one fairly straightforward example of a time-lapse video shot while panning the GoPro.

Time-lapse video of the Hong Kong skyline at night, shot with GoPro camera and Motrr Galileo motion platform.

Really, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination, though, because you're not just limited to straight pans. You can pan the Galileo a full 360 degrees while tilting up or down for more interesting visual effects, and if necessary, you can hook the GoPro up to an external power source while it's mounted to ensure you've got adequate power to capture your vision.

Setting up the Galileo and GoPro camera.

For the time being, you will need an iOS device from which to control the Galileo, as Android compatibility -- while planned -- has still not happened. We'd imagine that's due in part to the fact that while there are only a few iOS device shapes to account for when creating mounts, though, there are a multitude of Android devices of all shapes and sizes. Now that it's possible to use the Galileo without your phone or tablet mounted on it, the argument for prioritizing Android development has likely been strengthened.

If you don't already own one, the Bluetooth-controlled Galileo motion platform is priced at around US$150, while the GoPro mount will run you another $30. Through year's end, you can get a 20% discount with the code "GiftaGalileo". Up next, Motrr is promising an iPhone 6 mount and a reverse mount from December 2014, and an iPad / iPad Mini / iPhone 6 Plus mount from February 2015.