That is cool. Can you imagine the kind of footage and images he could get in some of the locations frequently posted here - canyonlands and deserts, alpine lakes, towering mountains? "Crashing is not an option."
I had a conversation the other day in Zion NP with a robot designer who is associated with this copter project and he was hoping I might work with them to help them develop something like this to better meet the needs of photographers. It was using GPS and directional technologies so that you could program it to go to an exact location as well as manually maneuver it. Unfortunately, I would have needed to supply significant funding so I declined. It will be cool to see what tools we will have available in the next 10 years. All sorts of interesting shots will be possible.
I think I need the heli-cam although I would have to also hire a pilot. I can't even fly my tiny little remote control helicopter around the house without crashing it into walls, chairs, ceilings and once, my son. With the heli-cam I might FINALLY be able to compose a photo from Dead Horse Pt. that includes the entire bend in the river!
Discussion
4 replieshttp://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-04/diy-helicam-takes-awesome-aerial-videos
For those more down to earth, there is also the "Beetle Cam".
http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-04/safaribot-lets-photographers-approach-wild-animals-without-fearing-their-lives
The elephant was only curious, but a lioness thought it was a wonderful toy!