Drone cams keep homes safe
Science fiction movies of killer drones autonomously buzzing overhead have come closer to reality with Amazon subsidiary Ring’s launch of a drone that flies inside your home or office to do security checks.
Recording footage at multiple vantage points as it hovers, the Ring Always Home Cam is not your run-of-the-mill closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera because it flies indoors on flight paths pre-programmed by the user.
The future of security takes flight next year.
When not flying, the drone lands and gets itself charged on a dock that automatically blocks the camera to maintain privacy, unlike CCTV units that are always open and, if so abled, recording.
The flying cam was among the new products and services launched virtually by Amazon middle of the week, including new variants of Echo and Echo Show, the latest Ring security cameras for cars and its video game streaming service Luna.
Amazon acquired Ring in 2018 and the latter has since then come up with a slew of products catering to the smart security market that allows people to check on their homes while away.
So, what’s the point of a flying camera? According to Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, the Always Home Cam will allow users to forgo the installation of several CCTV cameras as the drone cam can go whichever part of the house needs surveillance at the moment.
The drone is connected to the company’s smart home security system called Ring Alarm which, if it detects suspicious activities, can send the flying cam to check “what’s happening.”
The Ring system is Amazon’s entry into the smart IoT (Internet of Things) sector seen to automate many human activities through technology, smart products, artificial intelligence and self-learning machines.
As for privacy concerns inherent in security systems, Ring has decided to work closely with police departments in investigating crimes, while assuring against the hijacking of data feed like videos.
Siminoff assured the flying drone will only record while in flight as it moves through a house.
“It cannot be manually controlled, ensuring that it will only record and see what is important to you,”
Siminoff added. The drone cam will sell for $250 next year.