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Smile for the Drone

Selfies just got super high-tech. Drones, the miniature helicopter like devices the military has used for years, are finding their way into the consumer world.

 Two drones made their debuts on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, both designed to allow people to shoot drone selfies, or dronies (that is, a selfie shot via drone).

The Hexo Plus, which comes with the tagline, Your Autonomous Aerial Camera,î is compatible with a GoPro camera and is billed as an intelligent drone that follows and films you autonomously. A competitor, called the AirDog, treats a drone like a dog on a leash, tracking and following you wherever you go and snapping video and pictures of you as you do action sports.

Based on sales, consumers seem eager to buy these kinds of products. Hexo Plus hoped to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter. In three days, it passed $700,000, or 1,300 percent more than its goal. AirDog quickly flew past its $200,000 target, too.

No, drones don’t exactly have a clean safety record. In April, a runner at the West Australian triathlon was hit on the head by a drone that was being used to photograph the event. Last year, a drone crashed into a crowd in Virginia, injuring spectators, and another crashed into a crowd at the Coachella music festival. And there have been several reports of drones almost colliding with commercial and private planes.

Last year, Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) warned the Federal Aviation Administration that it needed to figure out regulations for drone use before the skies were filled with thousands of little flying copters, affecting people’s privacy and safety.

 

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Arkansas Trucking Association
PO Box 3476 (72203)
1401 West Capitol Ave.
Suite 185
Little Rock, AR 72201

(501) 372-3462 | Phone
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Our Mission

  • PROTECT the collective interests of trucking companies in the political and regulatory arenas.
  • PROMOTE the dynamics of trucking so that people have a better understanding of the link between America's primary freight delivery system and the standard of living they enjoy.
  • SERVE our members to help them to grow their business and their profits
You are here: Home News In Brief Smile for the Drone