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This $75 camera drone fits in the palm of your hand, comes with a set of first-person view goggles

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Want to learn to fly drones without the fear of crashing a $1,000 UAV on your maiden flight? If so, you may be interested in Aerix’s new Vidius VR, a.k.a. the world’s smallest virtual reality drone — which not only measures a scant 4.3cm x 4.3cm x 2.5cm, but has an equally tiny price tag to match.

Now available for pre-order at the special price of just $75, Vidius VR is capable of flying up to 100 feet away and performing 360 degree flips and rolls, all while streaming and recording live video, which you can check out using the (included) AERIX VR Goggles.

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“With the headset on, you get a first-person view as if you were inside the drone’s tiny little cockpit,” Robert Morrison, the owner/founder of Aerix Drones — as well as its chief engineer — tells Digital Trends. “It’s amazingly fun to be able to have that experience of flying something that’s so small, but yet to be able to see it on a screen that’s directly in front of your face.”

Morrison says that Vidius VR builds on all the feedback he received for the Vidius drone launched at the start of 2016. It includes some impressive adds-on not usually found in smaller drones at a comparable price point. These include an in-built barometer “Altitude Assistance Module,” which helps pilots maintain a steady altitude so they can focus on steering instead. In addition, there’s the ability to fly in “Headless Mode,” a pre-programmed Tricks Mode, and more.

Ultimately, however, the real selling point of Vidius VR is the fact that it provides a miniature drone you can fly safely within the confines of your own home. “You can fly them in your house, you can fly them in your office, you can fly them in your college dorm, and you don’t have to worry about breaking the drone or breaking anything else,” Morrison says. “They’re small enough that they’re not going to cause any damage.”

All that plus a VR headset as well? Consider us sold.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
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