When you’re searching for the hottest gadgets on the floor of this year’s consumer electronics show, be sure to look up. For the first time ever, there’s an International CES section dedicated to drones. More than 20 companies are showing off dozens of models.
One new feature attracting drone buyers is so-called “follow me” technology, which allows a drone to automatically follow and film the user, who wears a tracking device on his or her wrist. It’s a cool tool for getting aerial footage of extreme sports.
“When you’re ready to surf, just push a button. The air dog will come over, shoot you. When you’re done, press a button and it will go back over to the beach and land and you’re ready for the next wave,” says Edgars Rozentals, founder of AirDog, which is delivering test kits to pilot customers after CES.
But federal regulations haven’t caught up with advancements in drone technology. The Federal Aviation Administration still is concerned about drones getting in the way of commercial aircraft.
