UAV Will Follow The User Through A Wearable GPS Tracking Device

So you've been aching to get some photos or video of yourself bicycling, skateboarding, kitesurfing, or some other activity, but your friends can't keep up with their cameras. Well, a company has introduced a camera on a quadcopter platform it says is the world's first "throw-and-shoot" device.

Called Lily, the quadcopter will follow a person wearing a GPS tracking device and automatically focus its camera on the person wearing it, and shoot HD stills or videos. The company says Lily is waterproof, and uses the GPS and computer vision to follow the action. The tracking device comes with a waterproof case, and the aircraft itself can be launched from the water.

Lily's camera will shoot 1080p video at 30 frames per second, and has an option for slo-mo video capture. Its non-swappable internal battery will allow the aircraft to fly for up to 20 minutes at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, according to the company's website. The maximum distance from the user is about 100 feet, and the maximum altitude is 50 feet. It is not recommended for use when winds are above 15 miles per hour, but the company says it has been tested in winds as high as 20 miles per hour at a beach.

The camera is not gimbaled, but rather uses "digital gimballing" in which it crops the region of the image that contains the user.

There is also an app for smartphones that will stream low-resolution video, and allows the user to track battery use. The company says that when the battery gets low, the tracking device will vibrate, and if it is not landed, it will smoothly land itself before the battery is exhausted. A full recharge takes about two hours.

Lily is available to pre-order for $499 until June 15th, at which time the price will increase to its full retail price of $999. Shipments are expected to begin in February of next year.

(Images provided by Lily)

FMI: www.lily.camera, YouTube video