A Drone That Snaps Photos, Then Folds Up and Fits In Your Pocket

It's still unclear whether drones will become the home delivery service of the future or simply another footnote in the legal system, but that hasn't slowed down the race to create high-performance drones for the average consumer.

The Kickstarter-funded Pocket Drone is a foldable, flying "multicopter" that its creators dubbed "the GoPro of drones." It's equipped with an action camera for capturing aerial photos and video and a rechargeable battery allowing for flights of up to 20 minutes. Plus, the device folds up to the size of a small tablet for portability.

"Until now, most people could not participate in this awesome new technology revolution — the cost was too great, the drones too bulky, and the software too difficult to operate," creators Timothy Reuter, TJ Johnson and Chance Roth wrote on their Kickstarter page.

The creators claim that their drone is designed for easy use: It can be unpacked and launched within 20 seconds, and is controlled by an included remote, a third-party RC controller, or from any Android phone or tablet with a USB port. Additionally, the software is open source, so intrepid developers can add their own features.

The Kickstarter campaign presents the Pocket Drone as a relatively inexpensive tool for aerial photographers and videographers, as it's cheaper than your average DSLR camera. Backers can purchase a Pocket Drone for $445 without a controller, or $495 for the full package.

The Pocket Drone campaign finishes funding on March 9, and has already raised more than $300,000, far surpassing its goal of $35,000.

Image: Kickstarter

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Climbax Smart Wristbands Assess Your Climbing Skills

As the market for wearables becomes increasingly crowded, tech for fitness junkies is going niche.

UK company Climbax has designed smart wristbands for rock climbers, a fairly small segment of the wearable-tech market. Motion sensors embedded in the bands, one for each wrist, track the climber's movements; they can distinguish between resting and climbing motions, and even detect tired, shaky muscles.

Like most fitness-oriented wearables, the wristbands function as a training aid, allowing you to monitor your performance. Information recorded by the sensors is uploaded to Climbax's website, and visualized as a timeline of your progress.

"Improvement in climbing is achieved through directed training and practice," founders Cassim Ladha, Nils Hammerla and Tom Nappey said on Climbax's Kickstarter page. "For the more advanced athlete, training regimes involve strict cycles of power, endurance and rest, all of which can be hard to keep track of."

The product is aimed at beginners and experts alike: Climbax's creators said beginners will be motivated by hard evidence of their progress, while the wristbands' analytics will provide advanced climbers with a fuller picture of their training regime.

Climbax's technology is still in the prototype stage, so its Kickstarter campaign is aiming to raise 150,000 pounds (around $246,000) to finance production of the wristbands, and to develop tracking software. A set of bands costs 120 pounds ($200).

Image: Climbax

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