It looks like they've still got a lot of work to do to make this Pocketcopter a reality, but it's a cool idea (I've backed it):
How does the Pocketcopter work?
The Pocketcopter itself is powered by a 12V battery (rechargeable or replaceable) and is controlled via the touch screen of your smartphone.
The connection is via WiFi (similar to the remote control of the GoPro) or Bluetooth.
Due to the fact that, although the rotor arms are fixed one above the other, each spins in the opposite direction to the other thus achieving stability
and ensuring quiet recordings.
Should the Pocketcopter lose the connection to the smartphone it automatically floats slowly to the ground.
The software interfaces will allow the pictures or videos taken to be instantly shared directly on social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Specifications
- Height about 19 cm
- Diameter about 4.5 cm
- 12V rechargeable
- 3D HD camera
- Range about 10 meters
- Rotor blades removable
- Previous tests showed that the running time of a fully charged battery is about 6 hours (camera) and 25 min flight time.
- Storage Medium: Micro SD card
Blue, Yellow and Black
Comments
I'm not surprised. It looks like somebody's 'concept' evolved into a 3D rendering with the hope that if they collected a ton of money through crowdfunding then they would figure out how to actually build one.
Don't cross the streams!
There is actually two "height of overinflated expectations" hitting at the same time here I think.
The obvious drone one, but also the one about crowd funding.
Gary, I think that the success largely has to do with the fact that it's around $100, and it's a "drone". The fact that it's a drone gives it big exposure, being reposted around the net, such as here. Then since it's $100, it's easily affordable by the "I want one" crowd. It's a tolerable gamble for them. Most don't even realize it as a gamble since drones are currently approaching the "height of overinflated expectations".
So they've found 950 out of 5 billion people who just don't know any better.
As a guy who works really hard to build things that actually work, I just get really upset at this sort of thing. I should probably just go and do my own kickstarter, but I just can't stoop that low.
The fact that they have received 95,000 pounds out of a 15,000 pound goal certainly seems to me to be an indication that there are a lot of people who have no idea what they are investing in.
Clearly the people proposing this have a very limited concept of the technical issues involved and have failed to mention at all how they plan to address some very significant issues (directed horizontal motion and "3D Camera" among others).
I am not convinced that they have the slightest idea what they are doing and the fact that they have been so successful is scary.
I have this great bridge in one of the boroughs of New York I'll give you for a really good price.
You can charge tolls on it.
Personally, I think that these sorts of projects should not be posted on here. Or at least, should not be promoted.
I wrote to Indiegogo about that and warn them.
If they want to continue to this crowd founding business , they have to filter this kind of things.
(Now the project in the main page of Indiegogo)
You can write them from here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/contact/questions?category=FBCT_GNRL&...
ohoh, they multiply: http://www.reportcrowd.com/technology/170984-get-your-own-flying-ca...
If someone has a workable idea and plan to actually build something like this, and asks others to contribute money for that cause, I don't have a problem with it. I think the general complaint here is that the "prototype" they are depicting couldn't work. If they think it could work, they don't know what they are doing, and have no business asking people for money to support without a little diligence and without the know how to actually get something done. If they know what they are doing, they know it can't work, and have then taken $84,000 of people's money under false pretenses.
This is about the part of the conversation at which people with low ethical standards start chiming in with the mistaken idea that "buyer beware" is a license for the seller to commit fraud, rather than a warning to the buyer there are a few crooks in the world.
I hope you won't conclude from this that I am not in favor of anyone in the world coming up with an innovative idea and pursuing it. However, the artwork used to gather this funding is nothing more valid than my 6-year old drawing a jetpack on a stick figure's back and claiming to have invented, designed, and built it. Kickstarter and that sort of thing are going to end up being so abused in this way that they will cease to become useful for people who have actually put in effort and have an idea that can actually work. It will be as credible as a letter from a Nigerian prince if this sort of thing keeps up.
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