It’s been years since you believed in the tooth fairy, your fairy godmother, or the best known fairy of all — Tinkerbell. But that doesn’t mean fairies don’t exist. In fact, the Fairy drone is very real indeed. It’s a pocket-sized drone that promises to be able to fly and take photos just about anywhere.
Currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, the Fairy has clearly captured the imaginations of backers around the globe, with nearly 800 individuals already pledging almost $100,000 as of press time to bring this drone to market. What makes the quadcopter so appealing is likely its relative ease of use. This drone promises to be “perfect for newbies,” combining easy flying control with a 1080p FHD camera, auto tracking, motion control, and 16 minutes of flight time on a single charge.
With the Fairy’s companion app, you can quickly transform this flying device into your personal air camera. Meant to be used on the go, the drone folds into the size of a phone and weighs in at just 140 grams, which means that it can literally fit in your pocket. Plus, this particular quadcopter does not require FAA registration (though you should still certainly fly responsibly).
“The Fairy drone has been designed with a high-performancing camera and a Sony 1/3” (CMOS) sensor to deliver 1080P full HD videos (30 fps) and 8-megapixel images,” the team notes on its Kickstarter page. The camera offers continuous capture and delay capture modes, which ought to help you acquire the footage you need.
The Fairy’s auto-tracking mode will automatically have the drone follow you around so that you can have a hands-free content-capture experience. Alternatively, the motion control mode allows you to turn your phone into a motion-sensing controller, which means you can tilt your phone and have the Fairy follow you. And thanks to Fairy’s SLAM 3D precise position hovering technology, the drone purports to take steady images, and maintain high altitude. That said, given how little the drone weighs, we’re a bit skeptical of how well it would perform on windy days.
And if landing a drone still seems like a tough act, the Fairy should be able to return home quickly. The team claims to have developed a smart function that forces the Fairy to return to its initial starting point should it venture out of range or otherwise become too difficult to manage. This is made possible with the drone’s dual-band GPS that tracks exact positioning as well as its starting point.
Fairy promises three different sensitivity modes for different flying experiences depending on if you’re flying for the sake of capturing photos or video, or engaging in some high-altitude racing.
The team behind the drone claims to have already sourced their suppliers and parts, and completed a trial manufacturing run. Mass production is slated to begin at the conclusion of the campaign, which ought to take place in just under four weeks.
While you should always exercise caution when backing a crowdfunding campaign, if the Fairy drone seems to be up your alley, the team is offering early bird pricing of $99. Delivery is anticipated for July 2018.
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