Rather than using your smartphone to fly a drone, Shift has come up with the idea of using a stick-inspired controller, which it says is a more natural way to control a flying object.
To make the drone fly, you only need to use your thumb and the rest of your hand for grip, looping your thumb through the loop and grasping the rest of the stick for stability. To move the drone, you just need to wiggle your thumb, making the control pretty effortless.
The ring isn’t attached the controller, but it sits free, making it easier to move the drone up and down by using gestures. Move it closer to the grip and the drone will move down, move it further away and it’ll move up. You can combine these movements with right and left sweeps to move around the skies.
When you use your index finger to sweep round the stick-shaped object, the drone will spin around. An application that’s available alongside the package means you can watch the footage filmed as it happens and this can be instantly shared with friends in a few taps.
Three different ring sizes are available to suit all hand shapes and sizes and the drone that ships alongside the Shift isn’t too shoddy either, with a 4K/13-megapixel camera with 90 degree tilt to capture the action. It is compatible with a handful of other drones too, meaning you’re not locked in the Korean company’s ecosystem if you already have a drone manufactured by someone else.
The Shift controller will set you back between $89 (£72) for version one, $99 (£80) for version 2 and if you want a mini-drone without a camera built in, the package will cost $109 (£90). For those who want to go the whole hog, the full drone and Shift controller are available for $790 (£645).
The company has raised $42,000 (£34,000) of its $50,000 (£40,000) goal on Kickstarter, with a month to go on its campaign, making it look as though this innovation will become a reality.
