4 reasons i'm not buying Lily Drone

Ever since the above video surfaced, friends have been asking what I thought. Before addressing Lily, let me just say that the doubling time of this technology is incredible. It was less than a year ago that drones hit the mainstream, spellbinding the public with cameras that flew 1000 ft in the air and captured crisp HD video.  A short time later, drones are being designed to follow us around, deliver packages and feed our crops, it's definitely a cool (but scary) time to be alive.  

While there is no doubt that the Lily promotional video, and the way it displays the technology is impressive, it misses on several elements (not mentioned in video) that are critical to my applications, the quality of product and safety in general.  Don't get me wrong, my ears and eyes are wide open for new announcements from these guys, but until some of my concerns are addressed, the Lily Drone is being filed under "maybe later".  Given the sole purpose of the Lily drone is to capture video, i've examined four critical aspects of the technology that more than misses the mark.

1. Lily is a Crash Magent

This is probably my biggest beef with the Lily drone, in that it's not self aware.  Notice all the scenes have been filmed in wide open spaces, without obstruction; while the drone does seem to follow the subjects around nicely, it won't detect its proximity to a tree, structure, branch or anything of the kind.  So you're barrelling down the rapids (or ski hill), with Lily following you, and you hit a narrow patch of the river (or mountain), flanked by trees.  Lily, doing her job follows you, and follows you right into a tree branch.  Lily hits water, water sweeps away Lily, and you're imagining what else you could have spent that $800 on. As an experienced pilot, I can tell you it takes a lot of practice to navigate the skies,  learning to adjust for weather conditions, birds, environment et al.  Lily's "auto follow" technology is novel, but unsafe, for the public, your video and your pocketbook.

2. Lily is not Water - PROOF

The video depicts the Lily drone dropping  into the water, and then gracefully ejecting itself (with orchestral accompaniment) back into the skies, Ehrmahgurd, the drone is waterproof!!! Well yes, I guess technically it is...the way the video shows it.  But lets pause for a moment and address why the drone may be in the water to begin with...for those unfamiliar with drone technology, I can tell you it's not usually on purpose.  Drones can hit the water for several reasons, when a motor fails or stutters, being descended too quickly, loses contact with remote/satellite/receiver...the list goes on. Rarely does the drone hit water in a healthy state, where it's in a position to take off again.  And while the Lily might be water "proof", its' engineering does not prevent against the reasons for being in the water in the first place, and certainly won't prevent against being swept away in a fast moving current.  The video blinds you with a perfect use case of this feature, without acknowledging the learned implications of using drone technology over water.  

3. Poor camera quality and battery life

The Lily has a built in camera, and so for all those that have become accustomed to the quality you're getting from your GoPro, should not expect the same from the LilyCam.  While the frame rates and aspect ratios are impressive for a drone this size, the specs are simply way behind what i've come to expect from an action camera; even my go pro 3+ is light years ahead of the Lily. As a professional producer, I have no interest in taking a step back into the stone age of camera technology AKA 2014 A.D. Listen, i'm not trying to be a sourpuss, or rain on the parade of unbelievably advanced tech, but it's simply not on par with what can be afforded at a similar price and certainly not up to industry standards. Oh and that battery life though...2 hours of charge for 20 minutes (aka 15 minutes) of flight on a built in battery? Cmon bruuuuuuu.  So basically you charge Lily all morning to take her on a snowboard adventure with you..go down one hill and she's out out of batteries and you need to carry that deadweight around for the rest of the day.  But hey, at least your wrist tracker will work for another 3 hours and 40 minutes.

4. It's still in Beta

Like any of you who have supported a kickstarter campaign, you acknowledge that you are buying into an idea, not a working product.  While the video does a great job of explaining how it could work, there's simply not enough research or market testing to support real life case studies.    It's akin to buying a first generation video game console, you're basically the guinea pig to work out the rest of the kinks, and will  struggle to reach a customer support rep when you call to complain about how it's not working as advertised. Lily will then release a new and improved product, having fixed all the problems you helped identify and then charge you full pop....again.  I have invested in DJI's drone technology, they're an industry leader with a proven track record (warranty repair times notwithstanding), complimented by heavy investment and backing from some of the smartest minds in aviation. Now don't get me wrong, auto-follow drone technology is cool, and could at some point become the standard, but its not there yet. Like..cmon, don't believe everything you hear and see just because it's on the internet...except the Huvr....it's still real to me damnit!!