What you see here has been dubbed as the “world’s first spherical flying machine”, where it was first announced in June earlier this year with its master, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, taking the step to showcase it to the general public recently in Tokyo. This ball drone certainly goes one up on the Groundbot for the simple fact that it can take to the skies, although I am not quite sure whether it can deliver stereoscopic 3D images and video in real time when requested.
This drone will definitely bring spying and espionage among countries to a totally new level – as the drone is more than capable of remaining still in mid-air, fly vertically and horizontally via narrow spaces at crazy speeds of up to 60km/h, as well as continuing its journey should it happen to stumble into a wall or hit the ground. A trio of gyro sensors that are located within its body will ensure the ball drone remains flying despite being hit by an obstacle – presuming the obstacle is not a missile or some other sort of explosive, of course.
The entire drone costs $1,400 to make – and out of spare parts, too! When will it be mass produced to lower the overall cost?