France24 – AFP, 8 January 2014
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| A DJI Innovations DJI Phantom 2 Vision aerial system drone is shown during "CES: Unveiled," the media preview for International CES, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 5, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada |
It's not a
bird, not a plane. But it could be someone's personal drone coming to the skies
near you.
Some of the
flying objects being shown at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las
Vegas include items that are for play, personal photography and other uses
which could lead to a market for the products.
The notion
of personal drones follows widespread use by the US military and growing
reliance by law enforcement on such aerial technology.
Retail
giant Amazon meanwhile, has hatched a plan to create delivery drones, and
French-based technology firm Parrot unveiled its "mini drone" toy
which can be controlled from a smartphone.
"We
have civilian drones and now we have toy drones," Parrot's Nicolas
Haftermeyer told AFP, describing the Parrot drone as a device designed for
teenagers who enjoy a challenge of using a tablet to direct the device.
While one
division of the French firm makes fixed-wing drones for mapping and other
purposes, this devices, which can be held in one's hand, is purely for play,
says Haftermeyer.
"It
has plastic propellers, they are not dangerous. With four propellers, it can
balance itself automatically."
For more
serious uses, Chinese-based maker DJI unveiled its line of flying devices which
look a lot like drones.
"We
prefer the term aerial systems," DJI's Gabriel Chan told AFP.
Designed
for aerial photography, the self-balancing flying devices can access
hard-to-reach areas and produce "beautiful cinematography," Chan
said.
DJI's
Michael Perry said the groups has established "a platform for any user to
create amazing videos from the skies."
While most
of the usage so far has been for personal photography and professional
cinematographers, Perry said DJI devices were also used for search-and-rescue
operations in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.
Perry said
that in the United States, people can uses the devices to fly at altitudes up
to 400 feet (120 meters) but that the Federal Aviation Administration is
examining rules governing drones at higher altitudes.
The company
offered a test flight of its Phantom 2 Vision which it calls "the world's
first consumer quadcopter with a built-in high-performance camera."
The device
can fly 25 minutes and send images and location back to a smartphone which
directs navigation. It also is programmed to return home if the user loses the
location.
DJI says
the device can revolutionize photography by getting to places normally
inaccessible, like the middle of the Grand Canyon, or close to sporting events.
But there could be other uses, such as for disaster relief.
DJI has
three other flying devices including one designed for professional
cinematography and photography.
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