It’s a Flying Camera! It’s a Cell Phone Case! It’s SELFLY!

The following is from SELFLY, a flying selfie device that recently announced Kickstarter campaign. Editorial comments follow.

from SELFLY —

SELFLY, an autonomous flying camera which doubles as a phone case, wants to help selfie lovers take their photos to new heights. Using the power of smartphones, SELFLY is essentially a remote camera that can be snapped off your phone case and autonomously flies to capture amazing memories. Launching today on Kickstarter, SELFLY aims to bring the device into mass production so that everyone can carry SELFLY in their pocket and capture any moment, from any angle.

After many years of evolution and advanced technology, it’s interesting that we’ve only recently upgraded to using sticks in order to take selfies. Some use drones for unique, extreme angles, but using a drone can be a hassle as you have to pre-arrange your day, making sure the drone is charged, schlep the drone with you, and so forth. With this predicament in mind, the creators of SELFLY thought: Why not just tap into the processing power of your phone and use a remote camera to create an entirely new perspective?

Utilizing the smart camera technology for the ultimate selfie, SELFLY’s 9mm thin phone case uses high end stabilization and autonomously flies to capture amazing views, and even record videos from new perspectives. Users simply snap SELFLY off their phone, set it in the air, and let it do its magic – no controller system necessary.

“Think of SELFLY as your own personal photographer which can take the greatest overview shots,” said SELFLY’s CEO Hagay Klein. “SELFLY can capture the most amazing moments from different aspects and fits right in your pocket – perfect for anyone who hates schlepping selfie sticks and drones.”

Imagine a camera that can stay stable in the air, just like a tripod. By manipulating the picture on your phone through the SELFLY app, just as users would with any photo, SELFLY receives flying orders in order to capture the best angle possible, including 360° panoramic views. Essentially a remote camera for your phone, SELFLY can recognize faces and smiles, and compacts and packages that technology into an accessory used by everyone, every day.

The SELFLY phone case uses an elegant, chic and slim design for ultimate portability, and fits most smartphones used today. SELFLY sells at a relatively modest price at $99, compared to most drones that cost $500 and up.

You can learn more about it here.

A frank DroneLife take:

We at DroneLife are not fans of drone Kickstarter campaigns for a number of reasons. It takes a lot of capital to design, test, refine, and mass produce a drone or any other technology device. There funding goal is $125,000. Maybe there are other sources of funding; but that amount strikes us as a bit thin. Second, teams requesting funding have not been vetted by anyone. Regardless of your opinion of venture capitalists, they give firms a rigorous review in terms of technology experience, business and marketing etc. That is not the case with a Kickstarter firm. Using SELFLY as an example, there are no bios of the team members or even a list of who they are.

This is a great concept and the team may be qualified to execute; but given Lily’s experience we suggest consumers use caution. The product claims are not new (e.g. It’s simple to use!). The DOBBY from ZEROTECH closely parallels this device in terms of benefits and is on the market.

That said, SELFLY is an interesting development that is taking a unique approach to the selfie camera market (ie flying camera as cell phone case). Have a look, see what you think, and leave comments below.