Drones

Anura drone folds up to fit in your pocket

Anura drone folds up to fit in your pocket
The pocket-sized Anura foldable drone from Aericam
The pocket-sized Anura foldable drone from Aericam
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Anura is equipped with what AeriCam describes only as a micro camera
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Anura is equipped with what AeriCam describes only as a micro camera
Aericam tells us that range will extend to 80 ft (25 m) with a flight time of around 10 minutes per charge
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Aericam tells us that range will extend to 80 ft (25 m) with a flight time of around 10 minutes per charge
Anura is piloted by an iOS or Android smartphone over Wi-Fi
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Anura is piloted by an iOS or Android smartphone over Wi-Fi
With the rotors tucked inside its body, the Anura foldable drone is a similar size to 4.7-inch iPhone 6, though a little thicker
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With the rotors tucked inside its body, the Anura foldable drone is a similar size to 4.7-inch iPhone 6, though a little thicker
With the rotors tucked inside its body, the Anura foldable drone is a similar size to 4.7-inch iPhone 6, though a little thicker
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With the rotors tucked inside its body, the Anura foldable drone is a similar size to 4.7-inch iPhone 6, though a little thicker
The pocket-sized Anura foldable drone from Aericam
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The pocket-sized Anura foldable drone from Aericam
View gallery - 6 images

Could drone technology become so pervasive that soon you won't be comfortable leaving home without some form of quadcopter in your pocket? San Francisco-based drone company AeriCam is looking to ease the mind of traveling pilots for whom the urge to fly can strike at any time. Anura is a low-cost drone not much larger than an iPhone, with fold-in rotors for better portability.

With the rotors tucked neatly inside its body, the Anura is around the size of a thicker 4.7-inch iPhone 6. Like the blades of a Swiss Army knife, the rotor arms fold outwards to transform the brick-like device into a quadcopter ready for take off.

Anura is piloted by an iOS or Android smartphone over Wi-Fi. It is also equipped with what AeriCam describes only as a micro camera, which streams action directly to your mobile device.

Anura is piloted by an iOS or Android smartphone over Wi-Fi
Anura is piloted by an iOS or Android smartphone over Wi-Fi

Aericam tells us that range will extend to 80 ft (25 m) with a flight time of around 10 minutes per charge, while top speed is claimed to be 25 mph (40 km/h). There is also some added flight functionality that the team is hoping to incorporate should its funding allow, such as phone tracking, auto takeoff, auto landing and a return home function.

The company will be launching a crowdfunding campaign in mid-October to raise funds for production. It is looking to attract a minimum of 500 backers in order to offer Anura for under US$200.

You can check out the pitch video below.

Source: AeriCam

Anura: The Beginning Of The Drone Era For The Masses

View gallery - 6 images
3 comments
3 comments
BigGoofyGuy
I think that is really cool. It would be neat to see it produced.
It seems like something Q would build for James Bond. With Q, I have no doubt it would have features that the regular one does not have. Perhaps shoot knock out darts at the enemy or have a tiny laser to shoot at things or people. :)
I wonder if people will ask 'Are you happy to see or is there a compact quad copter in your pocket?'? :)
Tommo
80ft range and 25MPH speed..? It'll be out of range in seconds... Battery life is a serious restriction to this, without some major hikes in battery technology this will struggle to get off the ground (pun intended!)..
christopher
If they ditched two of the motors, and mounted the remaining two on the tips of a regular helicopter main-rotor (horizontal) (like that peroxide-powered tip-jet helicopter, except in a drone), they'd have something that folds to half that size, and flys 10x longer.
Make the lot inflatable, and it's 10x smaller.