Published on 12:00 AM, September 30, 2014

The world's first wearable drone

The world's first wearable drone

In what's been dubbed a cross between a GoPro and a quadcopter, physics researchers have designed the world's first wearable drone.
Called Nixie, the drone folds up and attaches to a wrist strap.
When the wearer wants it to start filming, they press a button and the drone unfolds and flies overhead, tracking their movements using motion sensors.
The drone then returns to the wearer's wrist, which could be controlled using a timer, or summoned using gestures.
It was developed by Dr Christoph Kohstall, a physics researcher at Stanford University, with colleagues Jelena Jovanovic and Michael Niedermayr.
And the concept is a finalist in Intel's annual Make It Wearable competition. As a result, the team has been awarded $50,000 to help make it a reality.
In addition to the prize money, all finalists are given mentorship and technical support from the Santa Clara-based tech giant.
Dr Christoph Kohstall has also created an early prototype, which will be developed and is set to undergo further testing later this year.
The winner of Intel's competition will be announced on November 3.
Earlier this year, Helio Aerospace Industries unveiled the first 'pet' drone that automatically follows its owner -- and could change the way sports are filmed.
It is not wearable, like Nixie, but the Airdog drone can be fitted with a GoPro camera to capture high definition footage of extreme sports, tracking everything from skateboarders to BMX riders.