There’s no doubt about it at this point: drones will become as commonplace as the cars on the streets or planes in the sky. As the technology is become more and more available, people find out how they can fit drones into their lives. For the most part drones are a hobby but they still require a user’s full attention when controlling it. Airmind is making it so that controlling a drone will be as effortless as tapping a button.
Their product, the Mind4, is a souped-up, Android-based aerial drone equipped with an HD camera and quad core 2GHz processor. Airmind claims that this is the fastest processor on any drone on the market, which is good because it lets it utilize their proprietary tracking software to the fullest extent instead of relying on an error prone GPS. Its standard smartphone tracking app allows users to highlight subjects of interest to focus on, while six other apps are specifically tailored to certain activities like surfing or cycling.
One of the Mind4’s biggest draws is its gesture recognition ability. One hand up in the air will tell it to come closer, two hands will prompt it to take a photo, while pointing down will command it to land, all of which will keep users focused on the activity at hand. And being that the drone can accept GoPro and other cameras, users have a lot of choice as to how they want to shoot their footage. A backing of $899 will go towards a Mind4 with an estimated delivery date of September 2015. The campaign is looking to raise $100,000.
The Mind4 is sort of the Mercedes of drones in terms of technology. That 2GHz processor is nothing to be scoffed at, and while other drones like Anura don’t necessarily compare, they do offer something slightly different. The problem with all these drones, though, is their absolutely terrible battery life. What’s the point of buying something like this if users can only use it for 15 minutes of their ski run? Until battery life gets far better, there really can be no use for a drone of this size and power.