GoPro and Starman Optical have named defense, robotics and aerospace as growth markets. GoPro’s compact cameras could provide the operator view and first-person demonstrations used in VR teleoperation, although no industrial product or customer has been announced.
GoPro has agreed to merge with US photonics company Starman Optical in a deal that would give its shareholders an aggregate $285m cash payment, or $1.14 per share subject to adjustment.
GoPro shareholders would also retain approximately 10% of the combined company, while around $92m of debt is expected to be repaid at closing.
GoPro would remain listed on Nasdaq and continue supporting its consumer cameras, subscriptions and cloud platform. The combined business would also target AI data centres, government, defence, robotics and aerospace.
The companies haven’t announced an industrial camera, development partner, customer order or product timetable.
The merger is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory and GoPro shareholder approval.
How GoPro Could Enter VR Teleoperation
VR teleoperation lets a person control a robot while viewing its camera feed through a headset. The operator’s actions can also be recorded as human demonstrations and used to train robot-learning systems.
GoPro already develops compact cameras, lenses, image processing and stabilisation technology for equipment operating in motion and demanding environments.
Potential industrial routes include complete cameras, embedded camera modules or licences for GoPro’s image-processing technology. The companies haven’t confirmed which option they intend to pursue.
GoPro’s MISSION 1 cameras support timecode synchronisation, high-bitrate recording and custom controls through GoPro Labs. Those capabilities could support professional capture and research workflows.
Consumer and cinema cameras aren’t direct substitutes for industrial machine-vision systems. Robot manufacturers can require calibrated sensors, predictable latency, synchronised capture, secure software interfaces, defined thermal performance and components that remain available for years.
Defense and aerospace customers could add certification, cyber security and domestic-sourcing requirements.
The demand is already visible in humanoid development. Noble Machines uses VR teleoperation to collect human demonstrations before training virtual robots and testing them inside models of customer facilities.
There’s no evidence that Noble uses GoPro hardware. Its workflow shows how headset-based control, camera feeds, simulation and physical robots can form one training pipeline.
Similar requirements exist around drones, remote inspection and first-person training data.
A Debt Reset Comes First
The immediate case for the merger sits on GoPro’s balance sheet.
Second-quarter revenue fell 31% year on year to $105m, while camera sell-through dropped 38% to approximately 291,000 units.
GoPro recorded a $51m net loss, compared with $16m a year earlier, and adjusted EBITDA fell to negative $29m.
Subscription and service revenue grew 11% to $29m, including $2m from AI content licensing. The increase couldn’t offset a 40% decline in hardware revenue.
The merger would repay GoPro’s debt, provide cash to its shareholders and preserve a public listing. GoPro investors would become minority owners of a broader photonics business.
Its proposed industrial expansion is less developed.
Two Different Optics Businesses
GoPro says its portfolio includes more than 2,500 US patents covering compact cameras, lenses, image processing, stabilisation, software and cloud services.
Starman Optical operates through Starman New Photonics, which makes optical networking equipment. Its Liberty Series includes 800G and 1.6T transceivers designed to move data between GPUs, switches and servers inside AI data centres.
GoPro’s technology captures visual data. Starman’s carries digital data through high-speed optical networks.
Starman intends to combine GoPro’s intellectual property with its photonics capabilities and US manufacturing. However, the companies haven’t described a product integrating the two portfolios.
Industrial buyers will need sensor specifications, latency figures, secure APIs, lifecycle guarantees and deployed customers. None of those details appears in the merger announcement, leaving GoPro’s role in VR teleoperation and robot training as a proposed expansion – with a lot of potential.
