The company behind the Dobby pocket drone will be launching an advanced folding drone later this year, after dropping the price on its original small selfie drone. On Monday, Zerotech teased a summer launch of the new Hesper Advanced Pocket Drone. Along with the folding drone, the company also launched the Drone Formation Dance Set for programming multiple drones to fly in formation.
The Hesper is a 4K drone camera with up to 18 minutes of flight time. Like the Dobby, the Hesper joins Zerotech’s “Pocket” drone family with folding wings. As a more advanced version, however, the Hesper offers a longer flight time along with that higher-resolution video.
At this point, Zerotech is just teasing with a few small details on the drone during the NAB Show in Las Vegas that runs from April 25 to April 27, with the drone — and the rest of the details — slated to land sometime this summer.
That portable drone lineup will also soon be able to create aerial displays with the company’s new Drone Formation Dance Set, which includes eight Dobbys and a control system to choreograph their flight patterns. The system starts with ten flight patterns, but the company says more will become available with a download through the mobile app.
Unlike other drone flight formation controllers, Zerospace’s option is designed for both indoor and outdoor aerial shots, thanks to an advanced computer vision positioning system. The platform also requires minimal space — you can fly four drones in formation in an area as small as about 8.5 feet (2.5 m) in diameter, and eight drones in twice that space. The system can also be used to add lighting effects during stage performances.
The drones and controllers all pack up into a suitcase for easier storage.
While the prices on the Dance Formation Set and Hesper drone are not yet available, the company also dropped the price of the Dobby drone while adding another battery to the package. The small drone now starts at $349, a $50 drop from when the drone was first launched.
