Meet the world's smallest camera-equipped drone

It's so tiny, users don't have to register it with the FAA.
Jessica Conditt , @JessConditt10h ago in Robots


The Axis Vidius is a quadcopter that fits in the palm of your hand -- it's roughly 1.5 inches square -- yet it's able to livestream and record video in 420p. Axis says its Vidius model is the smallest-ever camera-equipped drone, and it's so tiny that users don't have to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration (meaning it weighs less than .55 pounds).

The FAA launched its online drone-registration program in December. It requires all pilots, even hobbyists, to register their robots by February 19th -- it will generally cost $5 per registration, but the FAA is waiving this cost through January 20th. Information in the registry will be public record. In the program's first two days, the FAA collected 45,000 registrations.

The teensy Vidius drone may appeal to those who don't want to deal with federal paperwork before flying, though it does have limitations. Pilots can stream a live video feed from the 'copter via WiFi, though it has a flight time of just five to seven minutes on a 20-minute USB charge. Vidius comes with a 2.4 gHz controller, and users can pilot it with a smartphone or tablet, as well. Vidius is up for pre-order now with a ship date of January 29th at the latest. It's on sale for $75 before January 7th; afterwards, it'll be $95.

A tiny drone could be a nice way to have a little -- and we do mean little -- fun.