FLYBi: Take drone, add goggles and grab shots

FLYBi is a drone that comes with virtual reality goggles. You can get a personal view of the flight. The concept involves the drone, goggles and a remote-control wearable that looks like a watch. Using these components, one can get a birds-eye view of a drone flight. Via the virtual reality goggles one can enjoy a flying experience plus get desired shots. Drone-in-the-sky-watchers can control the device by simply turning their heads.

Eric Mack in Gizmag had details on how it provides a flight experience: "FLYBi's connected goggles receive live-streamed video from the drone's on-board 1080p 12MP camera and displays it on a pair of HD LCD displays before your eyes. The headset is also equipped with a sensor that tracks your head movements so you can control the drone's camera simply by turning your head in a direction – look to the left and the drone's camera pans that direction, providing a virtual flying experience."

Video is live-streamed from the drone's camera to two screens inside the goggles. The person using this can also take advantage of a front-facing camera attached to the goggles. Mack said that camera is so that you can switch over to see what is actually right in front of you on the ground without removing the headset.

Batteries will re-charge automatically.

The group behind this product have turned to an Indiegogo campaign with a $35,000 goal to help bring this to market.

The water-resistant wristwatch-lookalike wearable provides a remote control device where one controls height and rotation. There are photo and video buttons and a return home and land button.

As for the app it can be used to set a flight path on a map and FLYBi will follow that flight path. You can also set waypoints and tell FLYBi where to hover to grab shots. Commented InventorSpot: "Even if an obstacle gets in the way, the FLYBi will automatically change its flight path."

In the bigger picture, Gizmag commented, "The crowdfunded drone explosion continues with the FLYBi, a quadcopter designed to put you in the 'cockpit, sort of."

SimpleBotics, a blog that covers robotics and drones, similarly highlighted FLYBi's special something in the world of drones:

"FLYBi plans on turning the average consumer into a professional drone pilot. The quadcopter sports the usual prop guards, 1080p camera, and companion app, but its other features are beyond what your average drone offers. By providing pilots with head-tracking goggles, a wrist-worn controller, and an automatic battery swapper, FLYBi gives anyone the ability to intuitively control their flying camera in real-time. Tilt your head and FLYBi's front-facing camera will move accordingly, giving you a surreal bird's-eye view."

There is a range of pledge offers and pledge price levels. At the time of this writing, there was a price of $545 for a Beta testers edition where one receives one FLYBi drone and one Wrist Remote Control. Estimated delivery is March.

© 2015 Tech Xplore