Are Wearable Drones Buzzing on the Horizon?

(Source: Live Science)  

Sometime in the near future, drones may be wearable and may even become our buddies — at least if one futurist has any say in the matter.

The wearable tech of the future might be able to perform many more functions than current technology can, from acting as a scout and tour guide in an unfamiliar city to being a rock-climbing companion, one expert said at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival.

That future isn’t so far away, said Adam Pruden, an interaction designer and tech futurist at design firm frog.

“Drones are starting to behave like smartphones — and they’re also entering this era of post-smartphone capabilities,” Pruden said. “One day, drones may become an everyday household device.”

Wearable products

Drone technology is advancing rapidly, and these flying bots are already being used for a growing set of functions, from making agriculture more efficient to capturing dramatic video footage of a churning lava lake. Increasingly, drones are also being seen as a key way to deliver supplies to hard-to-reach areas during humanitarian crises. And as drones get smarter, their capabilities have begun to mirror those of smartphones, Pruden said.

Though wearable drones may seem far-fetched, at least one is almost on the market already: the wearable drone Nixie, which is a camera that launches from the wrist, is supposed to be released soon.

Pruden and his colleagues tried to envision what drones might look like in the future when wearable drones become more commonplace. First, they had to determine where drones could live on the body when they’re not in use.

“We have to find a place to put them when we’re not using them,” Pruden said.

Continue Reading at LiveScience.com…