Hover air X one

By Stephen, 16 July, 2024

Forum
Smart Home Tech and Gadgets

Just purchased this thanks to the blind life. Never bought anything from the YouTube channel before based off of the review, but I just had to with this one!
Am I the only one that sees the immense possibilities with something like this?
https://youtu.be/KF8Jny6Rgok?si=7-Mp2N_WK3xnS4i1

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By OldBear on Sunday, July 14, 2024 - 21:11

There's a small discussion in another thread. If you could get it working with AI, you could use it in an after the fact kind of way, and it would make a good pet drone.

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 21:11

The drone doesn't have an API to mod the software with nor from my understanding does it have an internet connection or other connectivity, so the AI-based use cases are non-existent. Not to mention, with the short 11 minute ish battery life what AI things would you use it for?

Edit: I was wrong. it can connect wirelessly to your phone, but there still is no way to control it programmatically, so you couldn't realistically add AI features even if you wanted to. This isn't me saying people wouldn't buy it. I really want one. I had a lot of trouble resisting the urge to hit the "buy now" button. A portable drone that can basically sit in your pocket until you need to record a video sounds amazing! though, if I bought one I would probably just run around the yard and have it chase me around, to be honest.

As cool as it sounds though, $400 for a flying toy is just too much for me to justify. I have the money, but I know I'd feel really really guilty if I bought it.

Stephen, keep us posted when you receive it! I want all the details! What do you intend to use it for?

By Stephen on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 21:11

The AI is how it recognizes who you are and that you are the person to be focused on. It has pre-flight plans, plus, you can also control it using hand gestures, which is a new feature that came out after this video was made. Yes, the battery life is a bit shorter than I would like, but based off of my research, a lot of drones have fairly short battery life. Youā€™re a better one than me, I hit that buy button immediately. What can I say, I can never resist temptation. I got a few extra batteries for it as well so all I need to do is just swap them out. I have watched so many YouTube videos on this drone, I canā€™t wait for it to come and absolutely, I will let you all know how it turns out!

By OldBear on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 21:11

I don't remember if they've gotten any of the chat bots to describe videos yet, but that's what I was thinking. Have the video the drone takes described, and ask the bot questions about it after the drone returns to you and so on. One of these days.

By Stephen on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 21:11

But for now, you can always use Pixie bot to have your videos described.

By mr grieves on Sunday, July 21, 2024 - 21:11

Whilst I can't think of any use that I'd have for this kind of thing, that you tube video was amazing. I can't believe that this sort of thing could possibly be accessible to the likes of us. I love the way he was controlling it without using the app - just press a button and then wait for it to fly from your hands, or hold out your hands and wait for it to come get you. It's really exciting when something mainstream that I would feel blocked out of suddenly is opened up.

As for wider applications with accessibility I'm struggling to think of anything other than specific niches where it might be useful. My first thought was to release it into the air and have it guide me about whilst being able to see miles in each direction. But you're not really going to get away with releasing a drone in an urban environment I'd think.

I presume it has a pretty specific AI model running locally for things like hand detection and being able to follow you about. If it's connected to the phone by wifi, I suppose it could theoretically be streaming the video straight there and have something on the phone process it.

I'm still not sure exactly what for.

At the end of the video he told us to prepare for the worst with the cost, but actually it was less expensive than I was expecting.

Anyway I can't wait to hear how you get on.

By Ollie on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

This is a very cool little air buddy I don't see what we'd get out of it though, aside from the joy of tech. I guess it's good for framing shots, if you're into that sort of thing or if you are a content provider. I imagine pairing this with a good USB-C lapel mic could be a pretty fancy setup and, if I had bags of money, I might go for it just for the play factor, I do think it would end up in a draw after a couple of weeks though, never to be used again.

thinking about it, that's a good test. Will this end up in a draw after a couple of weeks?

Without really geting into it, I'm not sure photography is a good use of our time. Maybe it's nice for others to see us, though in my case I doubt it, and AI description has come on a long way, but Ā£400 for this is a little punchy. I'd probably say the Meta Ray-Bans are better if you want bang for buck and to be able to take some interesting images for later processing.

still, I love the idea of a flying pet, especially if it has a link to AI on our phones. I'm thinking I could ask it to go around the post room in my flats looking for parcels for me, could even ask me to hold some stuff up if it can't read it etc. A talking AI in the sky is exciting. As it stands, however, it's just cool, yet pointless, which is fine, as my overflowing tech draws can attest to.

By Joe on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

This guy is low vision you can see it really come in to play when he demos the vision pro and doesn't understand basic concepts of Voiceover. I'm not sure what I would need this for as a totally blind guy? Maybe I am missing something.

By Stephen on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

Omg soooo Iā€™m loving this thing!!!! Just came today.

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

What have you done with it so far? Is the 11 minute battery life claim accurate? Maybe if you have interesting use-cases, I will cave and order it for myself. lol

By Stephen on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

The battery life of this drone is around 11 minutes, which is shorter than the typical 20/30 minutes offered by other drones. However, much of the time with those drones is spent on takeoff and landing also with those drones being much heavier, you need to be licensed and they need to be registered. With this drone flying at a max altitude of 50 feet, weighing 120 g, no registration or licensing is necessary. I tested it by having it follow me, my partner, and my guide dog on a walk around the block, and we captured some stunning footage. Out of curiosity, I processed the videos through Pixie Bot for descriptions, and they turned out fantastic. The drone and Pixie Bot work seamlessly together!

The tracking on this drone is exceptional, and it can even land on your hand. An underrated feature is the ā€œFind My Droneā€ function, which plays a sound repeatedly if the drone loses you, making it easy to locate. It also performs well in windy conditions, and you can extend flight times by up to five minutes. I opted for the combo pack with an extra battery, and it was worth every penny. The droneā€™s tracking ensures flawless footage every time.

Moreover, the more you fly it, the more flight patterns you unlock. The app could be more user-friendly for visually impaired users, but itā€™s still manageable. Despite having many gadgets and tech toys, this drone stands out. Itā€™s a bit pricey, but itā€™s worth every dollar, acting like a personal camera crew that launches and starts filming in seconds. Its hover mode is like a flying tripod, and the appā€™s noise-canceling feature ensures you donā€™t hear the drone in your recordings.

Landing takes some practice, and I did drop it a few times, but its light weight prevented any damage when it landed on grass. Once you get the hang of it, landing becomes seamless. What would you use it for? Thatā€™s up to you. I love this little guy!!!

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

I'd hate to be on a walk with it flying above me and have it see another person and start tracking them instead. has this happened to you?

Does the drone take 11 minute long videos? or does it take photo bursts as it flies around you? Can you configure that?

This might motivate me to finish up my video describing features for my image describing shortcuts.

By Stephen on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

No, it never gets confused. Before it launches it takes a good look at you so it knows that youā€™re the one that it needs to Focus on. In regards to the videos, it looks like the longest it can take is five minutes because thatā€™s how long itā€™s in the air, but that being said, you can literally re-launch it in the span of two seconds once itā€™s landed in your hand. You just have to go into the settings and adjust the flight time. In regards to following you, it will continuously follow you until you stop. Once it sees that youā€™ve stopped for 3 to 4 seconds, it will start the landing process and come back to you and hover in front of you until you put your hand under it which then it will land in your hand.

By Brian on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

While I will not be purchasing, this, model, I am absolutely looking forward to future developments with this technology. Imagine a world where we have guide drones, for example. šŸ˜Ž

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

Amazon has a 30 day return policy... That's what I'm telling myself.

I expect to return it just because I can't see myself finding a practical use for it, but it arrived earlier today.

I haven't had the chance to fly it yet though. It's really hot outside and their site cautions against flying when the temperature is above 40 degrees C.

have you been able to fly it indoors?

By Stephen on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

At least you get some time to play with it lol. No, Iā€™m too terrified to fly it indoors šŸ˜‚. You might just keep it thoughā€¦ lol.

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

Finally got to fly it last night! It was so much fun!

I had it follow me around in the yard and it did a great job there! I was also able to have it follow me inside the house, but it struggled to fly in one of the hallways.

It didn't become a destructive menace or anything, it just wouldn't stay in the air when we were in that hallway. It was probably too narrow and it probably thought the floor looked weird or something. but yeah... I had so much fun with it that I could see myself keeping it.

By Ollie on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

I think the main usage I'd have for it would be indoor, for example if I were making a demo video for 3d printing.

For those who have it, what is the advantage, is it lining up shots for you or is it the big cinematic stuff? Is it good for a talk to camera youtube sort of thing or are there better solutions which most likely come in cheaper?

I think I would youtube, but lining up shots is a real problem, and just half of my big fat head is, despite the logic, worse than all of my big fat head in shot.

By aaron ramirez on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

It's way too loud and not technically meant to be used indoors. It's really good at keeping you in frame, but the noise level is an issue when recording audio. You can try canceling some of that noise out, which the app will do, but then you'll have awful sounding recordings that aren't very professional.

I'm pretty sure there are cameras around the same price range that can rotate themselves slightly and keep you in focus. They won't follow you around like this drone does though, of course.

By Ollie on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

Ah, I'll stick with meta ray-bans if I want outdoor stuff then. I'd play with it and get bored of it in a week. I don't know how often I'd want a birds eye view of me wandering around before it got old.

By Stephen on Sunday, July 28, 2024 - 21:11

Knew you would love it haha. Once you get familiar with it, there is several different flight modes you can also change the settings on those flight modes. Dolly track is a fun flight mode. You can also widen the orbit and change the birds I view to go up 50 feet. The more you fly it, the more flight plans you get to unlock as well.