Selfie sticks are all the rage right now, but they're a little limited by how good your actual camera is.
DJI, a company better known for drone photography, however, is putting some of its drone photography tech to use in a new device that it calls Osmo, which is a 4K camera on a stabilizing arm. In other words, it's a robotic selfie stick.
The term "selfie stick" obviously doesn't really do this device justice, however. It's also a little pricier than a standard selfie stick, coming in at $650. Instead of simply offering users a camera on a stick, it offers a full video rig with a three-axis gimbal that surrounds the Osmo eyeball-shaped camera, which stays level and smooth as the user moves their hand.
The DJI Osmo itself is built using the same rig that DJI uses to keep videos smooth when the camera is mounted on the drone. Users simply press and hold a button in the stick to tell it to focus on a particular part of the horizon. Users can double tap the button to reset the sensor, or they can triple-tap and the camera will rotate 180 degrees, taking a video of the entire horizon.
Not only does the camera take video, but it also takes photos with the 12 MP camera. Last but not least, it can be used for long-exposure night shots.
The Osmo can be used by itself, but users can also wirelessly tether it to a smartphone, which can be attached via a bracket.
Of course, because of the fact that Osmo is a camera and a stabilizer, it is in competition with the GoPro. The downside is that the Osmo looks much more like a selfie stick and won't really attach to something like a helmet.
Via: Wall Street Journal
