The PlexiDrone DreamQii
Just in time for new US rules allowing drones for movie-making, a Toronto startup is launching a campaign to send swarms of lightweight cameras into the skies.
The PlexiDrone is a small quadcopter with a snap-in socket for lifting a variety of pro-sumer devices skyward, from point-and-shoots to GoPros. DreamQii, the company behind the PlexiDrone, boasts that the aircraft’s design lets users capture 360 degrees of footage without propellers or landing gear getting in the way. Pilots can control multiple drones using a smartphone or tablet along with a custom Bluetooth hub to shoot from multiple points-of-view simultaneously. To get off the ground, the company is hoping to raise $100,000 on Indiegogo in a campaign launched Wednesday.
The debut comes less than a week after the Federal Aviation Administration, seeking to overcome its image as a killjoy on new uses for small-scale unmanned aircraft, announced that six film production companies had been granted exemptions that would allow them to fly drones to shoot movies and television. The agency’s decision came out of negotiations with the Motion Picture Association of America, which pushed for the liberalized rules, in part, to stem the exodus of filmmakers taking productions outside the US to countries with fewer restrictions on the commercial use of drones.
But former Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, now chairman and CEO of the MPAA, said that drones—which the FAA calls UAS, or “unmanned aircraft systems”—were a great victory for audiences as filmmakers looked to new technologies to expand the horizons of their craft. “The UAS’s are a big part of that creative evolution,” Dodd said.
While Dodd might not be the first person who comes to mind as a beacon of artistic innovation, he’s probably right about the possibilities opened up by drones, as the PlexiDrone itself illustrates. Its makers say it has the ability to follow whoever or whatever is being filmed by homing in on a GPS signal. It’s not the only drone to offer that feature, but the point is more ease-of-use than originality. Swarming would also seem to open up truly original vantage points, considering that the nearest possible parallel—sending up multiple helicopters—is not only incredibly expensive by comparison but also simply unable to provide the kind of granular control promised by drones.
In crafting its exemptions, the FAA still kept many limitations in place. Drone operators must be certified, and the drones must be within their line of sight at all times. They can only fly above closed sets, and the FAA needs to be notified. These restrictions are meant to ensure drones only fly under controlled, predictable circumstances to minimize safety risks.
But it’s hard to imagine the remarkable new perspectives opened up by drones—to say nothing of swarms of them—won’t ultimately be tapped in less predictable circumstances, such as breaking news and live sports. And drone makers themselves are working to engineer safety right into their aircraft.
The PlexiDrone, for instance, weighs just under three pounds, almost exactly the weight of a 13-inch MacBook Air. While no one wants a laptop falling out of the sky and onto their heads, aircraft like the PlexiDrone are becoming almost wispy. DreamQii also claims the PlexiDrone is smart enough to steer clear of obstacles in its way, suggesting the drone’s systems would have to crash completely before the drone itself would.
The public will likely need greater assurances than these before they’re comfortable with drones flying overhead in everyday life. But momentum is clearly shifting toward sending more eyes skyward.
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