Canadian engineers, Simon Czarnota and Omar Eleryan flew a regular drone and were disappointed with its big size and difficult controls. They were also discouraged by the fact that it was potentially dangerous. This led them to form Cleo Robotics. Now, they have developed Cleo drone which is shaped like a doughnut.
The Cleo was showcased at the CES and is so small that it can fit in a pocket. It is controlled by a smartphone app and comes equipped with an HD video camera. What really makes it different from the other smaller drones is the fact that it isn’t a quadcopter.
There are just two propellers stacked inside the inducted body of the drone. There are grates both on top and bottom to protect the users’ fingers from the rotating propellers. What this means is that you can actually reach out with your hand and catch the drone while it is flying without risking your fingers.
It gives a flight time of 12 to 15 minutes per single charge of the battery. The details of the steering mechanism are a closely guarded secret at the time. Eleryan did tell the IEEE spectrum that, “We introduce control surfaces into the airstream to change the direction of the airflow and create a thrust vectoring effect.”
There are further plans to add obstacle avoidance and indoor navigation systems and it is ultimately hoped that Cleo will be used not only by hobbyists and photographers but by the security industry as well. You can see the drone in action in the video below:
