UPDATED 18:55 EDT / MAY 12 2015

NEWS

Lily is a flying robot camera that follows you around

If wearing a helmet-mounted GoPro or carrying around a camera on a stick seems like too much of a hassle, then Lily may be the robot for you. Lily is a self-flying camera that is capable of following and recording you wherever you go.

While users might be tempted to use the word “drone,” Lily Robotics Inc co-founder Antoine Balaresque does not like using the term for Lily.

“We want to be in the GoPro space, not the drone space,” Balaresque told Forbes. “We don’t see this as a drone. This is robotics technology applied to cameras. … To me, a drone is a military device that just flies around and shoots people. The only thing I see with Lily is camera that flies. I guess it’s a matter of wording.”

Lily is capable of shooting regular speed footage at 1080p and 60 frames per second, or it can shoot in slow motion at 720p and 120 frames per second. It can also capture 12 megapixel stills. The device measures a little over 10 inches in width and length and is about just over 3 inches tall. It is completely waterproof and will float if it lands in water.

“Our goal is that all non-flying cameras are obsolete”

 

Lily follows a small tracking device that users can carry, and it is capable of staying as close as 5 feet away for as far as 100 feet. The camera also tracks users with computer vision to make sure they are focused and in frame.

While Balaresque wants Lily to compete with action cameras like GoPro, it can only fly up to 25mph for now, which means it may not be able to keep up in every situation. But Balaresque points out that this is only the first consumer iteration of Lily, and he has big plans for the future of robotic cameras.

“The camera market is huge,” Balaresque explained. “In five years, our goal is that all non-flying cameras are obsolete.”

Lily is currently taking pre-orders at $500 and will begin shipping in February 2016.

Image credit: Lily Robotics Inc

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