Back on April 1, 2014 San Diego, California gaming computer peripherals and tech gadgets released a promotion for a new product they titled the Eidolon. Touted as the world’s first “wearable drone system,” the Eidolon consisted of a drone-mounted camera and wearable command module, allowing the user to experience their life from a third-person perspective like a video game. In addition to taking aerial selfies, Razer also announced their drone system would be able to automatically adjust its position for the best shot completely without user input and deliver snacks to its user.
The Eidolon, of course, never existed. However, an ambitious team of engineers working for a start-up known as Squadrone System is seeking to change that through Kickstarter. The company is working on turning the Eidolon into a reality under the name HEXO+ and as of the end of June has raised nearly one million dollars with the crowdfunding tool in order to do it. The HEXO+ system features an autonomous drone with a mount for a GoPro camera. The drone is then controlled using a smartphone app, which can be used to adjust the framing of a shot. Once the subject begins moving, the drone will attempt to predict their movements using location data from the phone in order to maintain a steady shot and keep the camera pointed at the action.
Even though it might not be able to fetch its users junk food, prototypes of the HEXO+ seem to deliver on the other promises of the Eidolon. The product is attracting the attention of tech junkies, sports enthusiasts, and filmmakers alike. After having already exceeded its original Kickstarter funding goal of fifty thousand dollars by just short of twenty times that amount, it seems likely that the HEXO+ will become a reality in the relatively near future.
Squadrone’s Kickstarter campaign for the HEXO+ is set to run until July 15, 2014. Early backers will be commemorated on the company’s “wall of fame” website, with those who contribute $599 or more receiving an actual HEXO+ and a variety of accessories depending on how much money they contribute beyond the minimum threshold. Squadrone is also offering a “DIY Kit” option that includes a 3D printing instructions and software files for the drone at a cost of $299. The company currently plans to release the HEXO+ to the general public in May 2015 at a retail price of $899.