When a new drone from a first time developer is announced, it’s usually accompanied by a demo video that shows off the drone’s capabilities. At least, it should be if the developers want to get any traction, especially on Kickstarter.
But, whether the creators are offering Kickstarter rewards or a special preorder discount, the thing to keep in mind is every shot of the drone in the video is carefully edited in. The UAV on screen is a prototype and, as The Guardian’s Sam Theilman found out, it works like a prototype when shown off in a live demo.
Listen, it really seems like the people behind Lily know what they are doing and they seem perfectly capable of bringing a good product to market next February.
But this video demonstrates the danger behind preordering a drone or contributing to a Kickstarter so early on in development. There is no guarantee the product you eventually get will work as well as it appears to in the announcement video.
It’s the same issue facing people who preorder triple-A video game titles.
Projects like Lily are important when it comes to moving consumer drones forward. It’s just important that we don’t lose sight of realistic expectations.
CEO DroneLife.com, DroneRacingLife.com, and CMO of Jobfordrones.com. Principle at Spalding Barker Strategies. Has enjoyed working with and around the commercial drone industry for the last 10 years. Attendance and speaker at Industry Events such as Commercial UAV, InterGeo, Interdrone and others. Proud father of two. Enjoys karate, Sherlock Holmes, and interesting things. Subscribe to all things drone at DroneLife here. Email is Harry@dronelife.com. Make Sure that you WhiteList us in your email to make sure you get our Newsletter. Editor1@dronelife.com.
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