Now self-flying camera drones to take selfies

NEW YORK: Good news for selfie lovers! Now you can have aerial-selfies which can be clicked with the help of built-in camera in drones.

The self-flying Lily Camera founded by students of Berkeley in the US is a new consumer photography drone, specifically for capturing aerial-selfies.

It knows exactly where its subject is at all times and automatically tracks their location through a small remote with Global Positioning System.

"It's all about getting the shot. Lily takes care of all the flight," said co-founder Henry Bradlow.

Co-founded in 2013 by Balaresque and Bradlow while they were students at Berkeley, Lily is entering a crowded field of consumer drones.

Flying anywhere between two and 50 feet off the ground, the drone doesn't require any real-time piloting or a hand-held controller. You just throw it in the air, and when you're done, press a button on the remote and it lands back in your hand, CNN reported.

The disk-shaped black quadcopter is a little over 10 inches wide and 3 inches tall. It weighs 2.8 pounds, and can stay in the air for 20 minutes before needing a charge.

Inside, a built in camera shoots 1080p video and captures 12 megapixel still photos. The founders hope Lily will appeal to the selfie stick and extreme sports crowds more than drone hobbyists.

With the help of aerial-drones, a surfer might fling the waterproof drone into the air for a shot that follows her along a wave, mountain bikers could get a bird's-eye view of their trip down a hill.

On the less sporty side, a family could cram everyone at a reunion into a group photo.

The self-flying Lily camera will be commercially available only after February 2016.