If you were hoping to capture 1080p HD videos, 120 fps slow-mo and 12 MP still pictures with your personal Lily drone; we have some bad news for you.
Lily was one of the first drones to offer high-level autonomy. The preorders opened up in May 2015 and collected funds of over $34 million from about 60,000 customers who preordered it. The much-hyped Lily camera drone promised autonomous flight and shooting modes after only tossing it in the air.
Recently, the founders Antoine and Henry announced on their website that they would be closing down operations and offered their customers refunds of their orders. The company had received great feedback for their Beta program but the ‘race against a clock of ever-diminishing funds’ caused them to shut down eventually. In the last few months of 2016, they made efforts to secure finances to manufacture the first units which went in vain.
Sadly, the 3-year journey of trying to create, manufacture and deliver an autonomous drone to the customers has ended. It is not the only crowdfunding campaign to have failed, but it is the one that will be disappointing a lot of individuals.
One lesson that comes from this failure is that lots of investment does not ensure the success of an invention.
What are your thoughts on this closure? Let us know through your comments!