CES 2017: Drone-a-palooza

You’ve seen them in the sky, hovering above the crowd. You’ve seen them in the news, either as part of a corporate service (e.g., Amazon and package shipping), or the cause of government restrictions (e.g., Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines). You know they’re quickly becoming a necessity for agriculture, disaster response and management, and mapping (among many others). And you want one of your own.

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We’re talking about drones, and there were a lot on display (some, actually in the air) at this year’s CES. We want one, too; and we’re happy that there are more of them being drawn up by companies not named DJI, to be honest.

Behold, the five drones that we wish would make their way to the Philippines—or okay, make it into actual mass production, realistically speaking. Here’s to hoping!

The transformer
This Kickstarter campaign has made its way to the big leagues! The modular Airblock drone (by Makeblock) doesn’t conform to drones’s usual physical characteristics. Instead, it allows you to make it as you wish!

The drone itself is made of “crash-friendly” material, and its biggest exterior components are connected by magnets, so you can customize your drone’s look and size. Drone, hovercraft, triangle, or spider mode? Why not all four? You don’t have to worry about it bumping into things either. You control it through a mobile app, which also makes the drone beginner-friendly and brings basic coding to the masses.

For those who supported the Kickstarter campaign early on, they’ll start getting their own Airblocks by next month, and for only US$99 (around P5,000) per drone. Not bad at all for a drone with a sweet educational component! But too bad for us latecomers: Forbes.com says we can still pre-order, but for a more expensive US$129 (around P6,400).

Selfie-happy
Forget your selfie sticks; those just won’t cut it anymore. Drones are the latest accessory for the vain and adventurous, and in time devices like the Mola UFO by Nine Eagles won’t be as alien (hah) to everyone anymore. It’s still a prototype, but we sure like what we see so far: simple sphere design, foldable arms, and a size that’s as big as your palm.

According to Nine Eagles, it made the drone with a triple-axis structure so it can be stable even in not-so-perfect flying conditions. The UFO can also identify, track, and shoot its subjects with a 4K camera, and with a 360-degree range. And of course, it can do time-lapse photography and share the footage on social media.

Let’s hang
Have you heard about that drone that wants to literally take us places? Its name: the Ehang 184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. Its task: to get us to where we want to go, at low altitude, and definitely without the gridlock we’ve become accustomed to during commutes. Take that, EDSA!

This AAV is an encore CES participant, having made the trip to Vegas last year. It still hasn’t logged in any flight time this year, though. The idea is you sit inside the AAV and press a button, and it’ll take you to a preset destination, with the landing cameras taking care of accurate liftoff and landing.

To ward off any fears about riding this AAV and relinquishing flight control, Ehang takes care to emphasize the 184’s redundant power system, safety system, and full compliance with green tech standards. We’re still a long way off from seeing it take to the skies, but it’s a pretty cool concept anyway.

Area secured
Sure, most personal drones are deployed for aerial photo/videography and stunning “look at me” promotional material, but they could also be used for more serious things. Like home security—which the concept-stage Yuneec Valet was made to address.

Instead of relying on your guard dogs, village sekyu, or nosy neighbors, the Valet will be tasked with roaming around your house and lot, and sending you mobile alerts on suspicious activity. When it’s done with its security check, it’ll go back to its charging pad to prep for its next round. The concept reminds us of the drones from the 2013 sci-fi movie Elysium, only these drones aren’t tasked to hunt you down and kill you.

Ready to hatch
We like eggs: sunny-side up, scrambled, or poached; in the form of a Kinder Surprise; or… as a drone. Thanks, PowerVision, for your latest drone, the aptly named PowerEgg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwCaR-e0t2A&feature=youtu.be

Tucked away into its “eggshell” are four foldable arms with propellers attached at the ends, as well as three legs. At the bottom of the shell is a 4K camera that can do 360-degree footage. This drone also has the PowerEgg Maestro remote control; and features such as a safety radius and Smart Maximum Distance mode, GPS and optical positioning for outdoor and indoor shoots, a handy Pause function, and three shooting modes (Orbit, Cable Cam, and Follow Me). The PowerEgg can stay in the air for 23 minutes max, and go as far as five kilometers.

And like the aforementioned MakeBlock Airblock, you can actually preorder this drone from the PowerVision website. Prepare US$1,288 (around P64,000), plus US$159.95 (around P8,000) for an extra battery and US$12.95 (around P650) for a pair of propellers.