GoPro has revolutionized action photography and video, but the Lily Camera could take things to the next level.
Rather than attaching it to a helmet or bike, the Lily Camera hovers in the air above its subject, following every move using GPS and computer vision technology. To start filming, you just throw the quadcopter in the air, strap on a GPS and you'll have your own personal aerial cameraman.
The Lily Camera looks like a typical drone using four horizontal rotors to fly, but its creator, Antoine Balaresque, doesn't like the term because he says drones typically require an operator and his camera is completely automated.
"We designed it as a camera, and never thought of it as a drone or quadcopter," Balaresque said. "Think of it as your own personal cameraman."
The Lily was created by Balaresque and Henry Bradlow, who met while studying computer science and working at the UC Berkeley Robotics Laboratory. The Lily Camera was produced in just two years by the now five-man team based in Menlo Park, Calif.
The rugged device is very simple to use. As you can see in the demo video below, to start, you just chuck the camera into the air — it tumbles for a second before righting itself — and you're ready to film. The stabilizing ability is pretty impressive and the waterproof drone can even recover from a dip in the water as shown in the clip.
Lily follows its subject using a small GPS locator and the camera's computer vision technology that can recognize its owner and use algorithms to more precisely frame them within a scene. The GPS tracker also records your audio and syncs with the video being filmed overhead.
Like the GoPro, Lily Camera uses Sony's IMX117 1/2.3-inch image sensor to shoot 12 megapixel stills and Full HD 1080p videos at 60 frames per second. The three-pound device houses an accelerometer, three-axis gyro and a barometer to allow it to fly, as well as front- and bottom-facing cameras. For safety reasons, the device is limited to a speed of 25 mph and it won't fly within 5 feet of its subject. Users can preselect exactly where they would like Lily to film, from up to a maximum of 50 feet above and 100 feet away from the GPS tracker.
The Lily Camera will also come with companion apps for either iOS or Android that allow the user view a livestream of the recording. The production unit will be available in February 2016. It is available for preorder for $499. Balaresque says the device will retail at $999.
