RIP selfie stick, Hello Hover Camera

The Hover Camera is a very simple-to-use drone dedicated to taking selfies pictures or videos.

Beijing start-up company Zero Zero Robotics basically combined two of the most defining technological trends of the 2010s – the selfie stick and the drone (a flying robot) – into one totally futuristic and niche product: the Hover Camera. As the name suggests, it is intended primarily to hover although it may also move.

• Safe – because the four brushless motors (which Zero Zero apparently developed itself), reside within a carbon-fibre cage. It would be next-to-impossible to clip your fingers with a prop, unless you have impossibly tiny fingers.
• Portable – because when it’s folded it measures 182x132x33mm (or a little more than 7.17” x 5.2” x 1.3”) and fits in a small pouch you could throw in your purse or clip on your belt loop.
• Foldable – because, well, it folds.
• Easy-to-use – Yup. Just power it up, place it where you’d like it to Hover, and let go. The Hover Camera, in what appears almost a magical stunt, remains wherever you place it. It features a downward-facing camera and sonar, so it calculates and maintains its position.

The Hover Camera is controlled by an iOS or Android app, so anyone with a smartphone can connect via WiFi and easily learn to control this quad (though the WiFi range is limited to a maximum of 20 metres, according to the company’s specifications).

What’s cool, is that the company has built in a few smart features.

The Hover Camera can follow you, or orbit. It has face-tracking and body tracking – and can even spin in one spot to capture a panorama shot.

As for the image? It’s captured in 13 megapixels via a 1/3.06” CMOS sensor. The maximum image size is 4208×3120 pixels with a field-of-view of 28mm. What’s more, it’s capable of recording 4k, 1080p, and 720p – all at 30 fps. You can control the pitch of the camera angle from -90 degrees (pointing straight down) to +30 degrees (which would give you an up-the nose angle if hovering close to you at chest height).

On paper, all that looks pretty solid. Throw in its ability to just hang there wherever you put it, and it’s pretty impressive. The company home page includes some choice quotes from reviews, including:

“It allows you to grab it and reposition it like a floating tripod” – c|net

“You can grab hold (of) it any way you want without getting cut by the propellers.” – engadget

And, from Dronelife.com: “You’re going to want one.”

On that last point, we’d say – Maybe. And maybe not.

The Hover Camera retails for $599 US. If the Hover Camera shot great video and had an extended range and long flight times, we’d say “Awesome – sign us up!” Unfortunately, however, the Hover Camera is severely limited in those three areas.

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