As cool as drones are, some of the designs, which often look like alternate takes on mini helicopters, aren’t as cool and futuristic as we hoped when drones first began appearing in our skies.
Now a small team from Belgium aims to change that by introducing a tiny drone that looks like something from a science fiction film. It's called Fleye, and its makers call it "the flying robot of the future."
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At just 23 centimeters in diameter, about the size of a soccer ball, the simplicity of the drone's exterior makes the Fleye look like it's levitating via invisible antigravity forces rather than through its concealed single shield propeller.
That effect is enhanced by the fact that, in a video demonstration (see above), when you push against the drone while it's in hover mode, it gently resists the interference and then returns to hovering in its previous position. That amazing in-air balance is made possible in part through the drone's three-axis accelerometer, gyro and magnetometer.
The Fleye can be operated via remote control or it can be switched into autonomous mode and has a flying time of 10 minutes per charge. It's also equipped with GPS, a dual-core on-board computer running Linux, a Wi-Fi connection and an HD camera.
Aside from its video recording features, with recent drone incidents like the one in the UK that resulted in the loss of a child's eye, Fleye's blade blocking design helps boost its claims as the "world's safest drone."
The Kickstarter campaign for the device has already raised over $160,000 of its $185,000 goal, with about three weeks left to raise the rest. The eventual retail price for the drone will be about $1,400, but you can still snag one early for about $740.
If the crowdfunding campaign is successful, backers will get their Fleye drones sometime in September 2016.
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