This is the first time I've ever seen a "lost drone" sign, which made it seem well worthy of the Pic of the Week.
Yes – to be clear – this particular lost drone is (was?) a toy that does not use AI. The X-Pack 2 is an old-school, remote control device featuring manual flight control.
Which, of course, begs the question that if it was AI-driven, offering autonomous flying and collision avoidance features, maybe it wouldn't have gotten lost?
At any rate, as someone who lost numerous model rockets and airplanes many years ago, my heart goes out to this kid.
All this makes me wonder: How much does one have to spend these days to get a decent drone with a good camera? I'm thinking about something in the wide range between a simple toy and a device that requires drone pilot certification and FAA registration.
This article from Popular Mechanics provides a window into this world, and it offers its top 5 picks, all of which look like fun. If you have any personal recommendations, be sure to leave them in the comments below. (Only subscribers have visibility to the comments.)
Safe travels!
