Amazon Unveils Ring Security Camera Drone That Flies Around Your House

Amazon has unveiled the Ring 'Always Home Cam' which flies around your house. You can see how it works in this silly video here:

The idea is that the flying camera (which is basically a drone, but hasn't been described as a drone) takes off if it detects a disturbance in your home while you're out.

If it does, you'll get an alert on your smartphone and be able to watch the footage live, so you can decipher whether someone's trying to nick your telly, or if the dog has just gone and stared out the window - again.

Announcing the innovative product on its website, Ring - a subsidiary of Amazon - said: "Next-level indoor security. This autonomous indoor security camera works with Ring Alarm and flies to pre-selected locations so you can easily check on your home.

"Designed with privacy in mind, the motors even hum when in flight - it's privacy you can hear."

Though while it may be 'next-level' home security technology, it only actually works on one level of your home. However, it is the privacy implications of the device which will be of greater concern to some.

As Ben Wood from the consultancy CCS Insight told the BBC: "The Always Home Cam is an incredibly ambitious device that will seem like something from a science fiction movie for many consumers.

"I expect it to generate a huge amount of interest from technology enthusiasts who are typically the people who embrace smart home technology first. However, it is also likely to provoke a huge discussion around privacy and the future role of technology in the home."

Ring

Ring has been keen to reassure those with privacy concerns, though.

Leila Rouhi, president of Ring, said: "It only records when it's in motion, and when it's not in motion it actually sits in a dock where it's physically blocked from even being able to record.

"In addition to that, it's built to be loud, so it's really privacy that you can hear."

As well as jumping into life when it detects a disturbance, the camera can also be commanded to fly on demand, if you fancy double-checking if you left the hob on/fridge open/tap running. Sadly, the Always Home Cam can't then turn the hob off/close the fridge/stop the tap running. Yet, anyway.

The gadget will be launched in the US sometime next year and it will cost $250 (£192).

Topics: Interesting, Technology, Amazon

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey