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Enlarge ImageFlyBi
If its Indiegogo campaign is successful, the FlyBi drone could be the most fun, most user-friendly unmanned aerial vehicle out there. That’s because it’s got a few key features missing from other drones currently on the market.
For starters, there are the goggles. Unlike other drones that beam what their cameras see to your phone or laptop, the FlyBi will come with a set of goggles that display the drone’s feed right in front of your eyes. The goggles also have sensors that will move the 1080p camera in the drone as you move your head around, so you, in effect, get the chance to look around at your surroundings from the vantage point of your sky-high drone.
Because your eyes will be occupied with all that gawking, the inventors of the FlyBi have also come up with a unique way to control the drone — a wrist-mounted joystick. Surrounding the joystick are two bezels — one controls height and the other rotation. There’s also a small screen that shows the video stream from the drone and a button that can be pushed to record video or still images.
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Adding to the ease of the FlyBi is the fact that it can swap out its own batteries. When the drone sense a low charge, it will return to its docking station, called the “Helideck” — which doubles as a carrying case — for an automatic battery swapping.
The drone also can follow its owner through the wristband, and it can save a flight path that it can repeat again at the press of a button. This would be useful if you wanted to create a timelapse video or have your drone monitor a certain flight path on a regular basis.
Of course, this article started with a key word, “if,” and should you back the project, just remember you’re investing in the idea of the FlyBi, not a finished product you’re guaranteed to receive. The little drone is making some big promises, so the idea of “buyer beware” particularly applies here.
If that doesn’t scare you off, you can get a FlyBi and a wrist remote for the early-bird price of $545 (about £358, AU$78). After that the price climbs to a whopping $795 (about £522, AU$1,137). Drones are expected to delivery in June 2016, but with a project this complicated and involving so much tech, you should expect delays.
For better or worse, drones are rapidly becoming part of our society. They’re making appearances at concerts, spying on firefighters doing their job, and even getting in the way of planes. Although it seems like lots of people don’t like getting filmed by drones, piloting them is another thing entirely.
