The Lily drone has a smile on its face
Described as the first throw-and-shoot drone camera, the Lily has been launched online with much interest among extreme sports enthusiasts, and even comes with a smile on its face.
According to the company’s promotional material on the Lily, just by throwing the drone into the air it will immediately begin tracking the owner’s movements thanks to a tracking device placed on their wrist that also allows them to control what it does.
With a flight time of 20 minutes and a two-hour charge, the Lily can shoot 1080p video with full sound at 60 frames per second (fps) or slow-motion 120fps footage at 720p or still images at a resolution of 12MP.
In terms of its speed, it’s arguably not designed for playing catch up to a motorcycle or car with a top speed of 40km/h, which would be adequate for most human-powered pursuits and can hover above at a max distance of 30m and as close as 5m.
Aside from all the usual GPS and gyros that come with a drone, the most noticeable design feature is the Lily’s happy face, which should immediately spark memories of the robot EVE from Wall-E.
It’s also waterproof, as shown in the promotional video when it is thrown into a river only to fly back out and follow the user in her canoe.
While the tracking device worn on the arm keeps the Lily looking at its owner, a companion smartphone app controls almost all its functions.
Now released on pre-order, the Lily will set someone back US$499, but following pre-orders, this price will jump to US$999 plus taxes and shipping.
