There are a number of drones on the market today, but none of them has been based on the Android operating system until now. A new drone called the Mind4 has been announced and it claims to be the world’s first Android based smart drone. Mind4 has computer vision and is capable of following any subject precisely and recognizing body gestures.
It needs no pilot and doesn’t use GPS. Having no pilot means that a user can get the drone to follow them and operate the system alone. Needing no pilot makes it ideal for people who enjoy solo sports like skiing or biking and want to be able to record themselves.
The drone is controlled using an app on Android devices and when the app is launched, the drone takes off and hovers automatically. The video feed from the camera can be viewed live on the smartphone screen using WiFi. To select the person the drone should follow the user pinches and zooms untill the subject is in the video frame.
An auto lock feature then locks the drone onto the person and it follows them. The drone recognizes hand gestures and waving the right hand will tell the drone to come closer. Raising both hands tells the drone to take a picture. Pointing to the ground tells the Mind4 drone to land. Mind4 is on Kickstarter seeking $100,000 and has raised a bit more than $9,000 so far with 31 days to go. To get the full drone you will need to spend $899 or more, not including the GoPro.
SOURCE: Kickstarter
