Ring Takes Flight, Debuts Autonomous Flying Drone For Homes

Home security and smart home technology pioneer Ring has announced a new security camera that will fly around an indoor space. Called the Always Home Cam, the autonomous drone will take flight around a house, moving room-to-room when the owner is not present.

As reported by The Verge, the company wants the Always Home Cam to be a first line of security for homeowners. Once the UAV completes flight sweeps of a property’s interior, it returns to its dock and continues charging its battery.

The hardware works through a combination of advanced technology and special sensing that allows it to navigate the small spaces of a house or apartment. Moreover, this release also furthers the democratization of drone technology alongside tech developed by companies like Google and Amazon.

The Always Home Cam will launch in 2021, at a reported lower price than products with similar high functionality.

Jamie Siminoff, “chief inventor” for the company, says the flying product allows users to see their home from a remote location. Ring posted a blog post on its official website explaining the camera can be programmed or work autonomously, giving customers a complete overview of their property’s interior.

Each unit is equipped with multiple cameras and sensor arrays. Siminoff says it was an “obvious product that is very hard to build.”

“But bringing this device to life was no small feat. We knew we had to invent a completely new type of device that was able to move freely throughout the home to give more viewpoint flexibility. To do this, we needed to bring together best-in-class hardware and software technologies to create something no one else had done before and build on a foundation of privacy while moving safely throughout the home.”

Among the features built into the autonomous UAV is the ability to set a path that will tell the vehicle where to fly. Users must create a map of their house and program it into the drone the first time it is used. All flights afterward are based on this map, with the drone using AI to memorize locations.

Users are also able to decide when the drone takes flight. For example, it can be programmed to only fly if a disturbance is detected. Alternatively, it can be set to function at regular intervals.

Use of UAVs has caused controversy in the past, with people worried about a lack of privacy. Earlier this year, The Inquisitr reported on unexplained drones flying over communities in Nebraska and Colorado. Customer concerns over privacy are obvious, but Ring insists this launch is not about putting a spy camera into people’s homes.

When the vehicle sits in the charging dock, the lens view is blocked and the device can only record when the drone is in the air. The company added that the new product does not work outdoors and is only meant for indoor use.