The Future of Selfies: Hover - The Camera Drone that follows you around
Somewhen in the early 2000s, in the era of MySpace, the infamous “selfie“ embarked on an epic journey to take over the world. Around 2010, the introduction of front-facing cameras on mobile phones gave the phenomenon additional momentum. By the end of 2013, Oxford English Dictionary named it "word of the year". Then the selfie stick followed, which even made it on the "25 best inventions of 2014" list of Time magazine.
Ever wonder what comes next? The answer is: wings!
Hover Camera Passport is the world’s first truly consumer-friendly self-flying camera. It’s safe, portable, and easy-to-use. It is foldable (when folded up, it takes about the size of a VHS cassette) and it’s only 242 grams (including battery).
The drone comes with an endurable carbon-fiber casing, featuring protective grates that allow users to safely grab the drone in mid-air without fear of the propellers clipping their fingers. Its top speed is 8 meters per second (slightly over 27 km/h).
The camera, which comes complete with flash for low-light situations and 32GB internal memory, can record 4K UltraHD video and take 13MP pictures. There are advanced auto-camera modes, such as the “360 Spin” that enables the capturing of 360-degree circular view videos, as well as the “Orbit” that will have the drone autonomously film you while circling around you.
The camera can be controlled by a smartphone connected via Wi-Fi. A well-designed iOS app with onscreen touch controls allows users to adjust altitude, move forward/backward, shift left/right, turn left/right, and adjust the angle of the camera, with a finger swipe. The suggested control distance is within a radius of 20m. It can be connected to a computer via USB 3.0 by using a micro-USB cable.
The drone has sensors on the bottom, including sonar, to measure the distance from air to ground and is safe for indoor use. It can either hover at a set altitude or follow a particular subject thanks to face- and body tracking. Per battery charge, it can fly for around eight minutes (up to 10 minutes if there is no wind), after that the battery can easily be swapped out at the top of the drone.
The drone comes with two batteries, an adapter that can charge two batteries at the same time, an easy-carry bag, a protective carrying case with case strap, as well as spare propellers and according tools.
After the project had landed $25 million dollars in funding earlier this year, the drone finally went on sale in mid-October at a retail price of $599 (around 21,000 Baht) and can be ordered only on its official website. The shipping&handling fee to Thailand is $40.