The Fotokite Phi is being marketed as more of an electronic "kite" than a drone. Why? Because it's tethered, just like a kite, to a person on the ground. I admit that this thing is pretty unique but is this actually a good idea?
The Fotokite Phi is currently available on Indigogo for $299. The unit will cost $500 when it is officially launched. The form factor of this thing is pretty amazing. It folds up with a simple twist and it's ready to fly in seconds without long boot or build times. It holds a GoPro and can capture standard images or (un-stabilized) video.
The way that this drone flies it what really sets it apart. Instead of a wireless remote control, you keep the drone on a leash and you simply let out some slack or pull the drone back in. The drone can figure out where it is and where you are based on the tension on the leash.
This technology is certainly interesting but I'm not sure that it's any better than a standard RC drone. They claim that it is "easy to fly" but I must admit that the Phantom is pretty simple to fly. They claim that it is safer than a normal drone but I'm not really buying it. Most people are afraid of drones falling out of the sky and having it tethered to you certainly won't fix that. At just $300 this unit is pretty affordable but it will eventually cost $500 which is more than the Phantom 2 costs right now.
This unit obviously doesn't have any sort of gimbal to stabilize your footage but perhaps the biggest flaw is that you will see a string in most of your shots. This thing is basically a very complicated selfie stick. The one redeeming factor is ability to quickly fold into an incredibly small package. This has to be one of the easiest drones to travel with currently on the market.
Even though I personally don't have a use for it, others certainly do. It has almost reached it's crowd funding goal of $300,000.
A reason for the tether is that it may fall under different FAA regulations. It can provide a hard limit on the ceiling height and radius it can travel vs RC. They're also directly traceable back to the operator. Powered kites can be argued that they're not free-flying aircraft - although there have been mixed-messages from the FAA on this interpretation.
Now that is a really good point. If they end up banning drones maybe they will allow electronic kites
Without a doubt this is designed to skirt FAA regulations. And that is great.
I have a feeling this will be much better than the Lilly and I agree, this is a good safe alternative (and apparently cheap) way to drone it up and the FAA might not ban these little things. I can't tell you how excited I am to see all the Lilly fail videos of it slamming into trees, telephone poles, power lines and buildings. =) The lilly is only going to be useable in wide open fields.
It's an interesting idea, but I don't know that people will use it. I like it because this is clearly not meant to be used by pervs to spy on sunbathers or peep through windows of private homes, it would be more difficult to harass wildlife up close because the tether might get caught, etc. But I think those are also the same reasons people won't want it. Also, people really hate drones and I can see someone grabbing the tether and pulling it down.
I wonder if can it be flown with the camera facing away from you so the tether string is not in shot, and you don't always want to be shooting selfie videos do you, i like it
There are definitely good uses for a tethered drone, ranging from real estate agents (videoing inside and outside of homes), ski racers (analyzing a skier running gates), MTBing, etc. It is less expensive and should avoid FCC regulations.
I have been following the development of Fotokite for some time. The positive attributes for me are, first, that the FAA restrictions to commercial use are removed, thus reducing much, I hope, of the liability. Another great point is the personal accountability the comes with the platform being connected to you. People will understand immediately who is in control. The analogy to a dog on a leash is perfect. People are afraid of dogs that are not on a leash. If the owner is control of the dog on a leash, people are much more comfortable being around the animal. The psychology here should not be overlooked. I wish Fotokite much success.