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CyPhy LVL 1 Drone promises to be a doddle to fly

Drones have two problems: they’re expensive and easy to crash. The CyPhy LVL 1 Drone, however, promises to be so easy to fly you won’t need to learn how, you just pick it up and start playing.

For starters, it doesn’t tilt while it moves. Others do, which creates a swaying motion, making them hard to control. Plus your video footage comes out at all skew-whiff, unless you have a pricey camera mount. It also usually makes the camera the lowest part of the drone, which means it bears the brunt of impact when you land.

Thanks to CyPhy’s Level Up tech, the LVL 1 never tilts, making it easier to handle. It also means you’ll get better photos and videos. Though if you want to fly loop-the-loops, you can always disable it.

It’s also simple to control using the app. Just swipe your finger on the screen – as you would to navigate a menu – and the drone will go that way.

You can upload your snaps and videos to social networks while still flying, and set a maximum and minimum height to stop your flight getting out of hand.

Read more: Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Power Edition review

It takes 8-megapixel stills and records in 1080p HD with a camera that has a 90-degree tilt. The flight time is a little over 20 minutes, and the app works for iOS and Android.

If it’s as good as it sounds, this could be the drone we’ve been waiting for. It’s flown past its $250,000 funding goal on Kickstarter and still has 28 days to go. And it’s not all that pricey – $495 (£316) if you get in early.

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