Not sure if this has been done.

As of now I’m saving up.

Has it got object avoidance yet or will it still hit the first tree you encounter?

I wouldn’t get a pre-order…

(Kickstarter backer of the Zano here).

I’m pretty sure when this launched, there were backers on here.

From the FAQ on their website:

Currently, the Lily Camera does not have any obstacle avoidance capabilities. We have found that most outdoor activities do not need obstacle avoidance because the Lily Camera can follow the user’s path. But again, there are no guarantees that your Lily Camera will not hit anything while it is following you. If your Lily Camera is about to hit an object you can press the middle button on the tracking device and Lily will stop, hold its position, and continue to film you.

The DJI Phantom range has follow me…not as compact but it works.

Isnt auto following illegal in the uk?

Obstacle avoidance technology is out there

http://www.csail.mit.edu/drone_flies_through_forest_at_30_mph

Isn’t having a drone follow you just really annoying to other users and an invasion of privacy and natural spaces?

It may well be annoying to other people, but in UK law there is no expectation of privacy in public places.

Other people are an invasion of privacy and natural spaces – even if they’re not following you 🙂

but in UK law there is no expectation of privacy in public places.

That’s the thrill!

I should point out that I work for Intel, but Intel were demoing a follow-me drone with collision avoidance with a demo involving someone riding a bike (very slowly) through (artificial) trees.

https://youtu.be/jH85_owUBZY?t=37 is the segment of the video. My requests to “borrow” a prototype were ignored, sadly.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/lily-camera-big-want

I’ve been watching the progress of the Hexo https://hexoplus.com/product/hexo_drone_3d but it’s a fair bit more expensive.

You know if you expand this technology, adding obstacle avoidance, the ability to track GPS enabled transponders, the ability to manage and override the drone along with transmiting the video, it would enable fantastic coverage of events like the EWS.

Usually coverage of these events is very spotty with only the occasional cameras/cameramens available.

However if the people covering an event had the ability to tell a drone to follow a riders just by telling it which transponder you want to follow that would allow for great coverage.
Select a riders transponder, drone finds and follows the rider, then when you want to follow another rider just tell it to go follow another riders transponder, drone flies up away and finds the appropriate transponder, all while transmitting the video back to a base station where the operator is sitting.

There are some safety considerations to take into account, but people are working on those.

The main thing holding this idea back is flight time.
Also riders transponders would need to be very small, light and robust.