Drones have proven rather popular lately, but that fun comes with a relatively hefty price tag. The PhoneDrone Ethos wants to help lower this barrier to entry by using your everyday smartphone to power its flight.
The little drone makes use of the various sensors, processor and wireless capabilities found in our smartphones to control a lightweight chassis. Your phone basically sits in the cockpit as the pilot. Your phone can either be programmed with a specific mission or tethered up to another device for real time control and video streaming. The PhoneDrone has its own app which is used to perform these functions.
The PhoneDrone Ethos also features a protective mount for your smartphone, just in case anything unfortunately should happen to the drone in the air. I’d probably feel a bit uneasy about sending my expensive new flagship smartphone up there all alone, so it’s fortunate that the drone will work with lower cost Android handsets too. The creators also plan to openly release their controller API so that other apps can make use of the drone and allowing developers to create entirely new use cases.
The Kickstarter is well on its way to its $100,000 goal and there are plenty of packages left to grab. The limited early bird special costs $195, while the regular cost will be $235. 3D printer hobbyist can also buy all the parts and files they need to put one together themselves for just $95.
