Stalk yourself with AirDog, Hexo+ drones

In the last few years, action cameras have made huge inroads to the motorcycling community, and now drone technology looks like it might changes things up even more.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to videotape your ride, it meant hauling around a bulky camera, and it wasn’t cheap. Now, GoPro cameras and cheaper equivalents are everywhere, which means YouTube is getting clogged up with vlogs (video blogs) of riders puttering around town, muttering inanities into their helmets.

Now, that technology is getting even more advanced; instead of relying on cameras strapped to rider or bike for a first-person perspective, riders will soon be able to purchase airborne drones to follow them and film them from behind while on autopilot.

Gizmag featured two of these recently, the AirDog and the Hexo+. Neither of these units is in production yet; they’re still in Kickstarter fundraising campaigns. If someone’s interested, they can pledge money and buy one at a fixed rate when they become available. You can donate $1200 US and reserve an AirDog when they become available, and $500 US will get you a Hexo+ when they’re available. The Hexo+ has smashed the ceiling on their Kickstarter fundraiser, while the AirDog is still a bit shy.

Of course, the new drones (if they make it to production) are still developing technology; buyers expecting a device that follows them down the road at 160 kph are going to be disappointed, as they’re restricted to top speeds around 70 kph right now. However, the possibility to buy a virtual airborne cameraman to follow their exploits is going to be something a lot of riders find very interesting, and the technology will surely improve quickly once brought to market – unless government regulation steps in.