An Affordable Drone That Takes Pictures And Folds Into Your Pocket Is Coming In 2014

Get ready for the drone that will fit in your pocket. After launching on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 on Wednesday night, Pocket Drones by AirDroids smashed through its kickstarter target overnight by raising $56,000, far more than its $35,000 target, and there are still 58 days to go.

The drone is set to become the world’s first folding "multicopter" that’s powerful enough to carry a quality digital camera and fold up to fit snuggly in a cargo pocket or backpack.

The mission of the company’s creators, Tim Reuter, TJ Johnson and Chance Roth, was to create an alternative to expensive toy drones. “We’re a mission-driven company,” Reuter said. “Our goal is to put flying robots in the hands of as many people as possible. We think it’s empowering to democratize the sky.”

The drone is being marketed as a tool for photographers and will be released in the summer of 2014.

For $415 you can buy the drone without a controller and just use a program on your tablet. Getting the drone with a controller ups the price to $455.

However, people who want to use this as a business tool might have to wait until the Federal Aviation Administration relaxes rules on the commercial use, a rule they brought in more than seven years ago.

You can pledge here.