Japanese inventor develops flying sphere drone

It will be interesting to see this device in sports broadcasting giving a birds eye view of soccer games and/or other events. It can also be used at music concerts and as mobile surveillance cameras in doors and out. If they incorporate more then one camera and create a digital composite then they can have a mobile 360 degree view system as well.

Be careful of leaving the blinds open at your love hotels people!

Awesome, Japanese inventors always make the cool stuff.

Good invention, but not new. Just added a camera on a toy that has been available for some time.

The possibilities for using it are enormous. I'll consider buying one when the price tag comes down - a lot!

Use it to monitor Japan's nuclear power disasters.

a flying bowling ball

Nothing that advanced.. propeller in a ball..

turbulence and poor weather conditions.

Will make it look like an out of control alien space ship if it is painted just right. Needs a few small flashing lights too.

I also wonder if they can make a giant one of these.

DARPA, the US equivalent of this institute, wrote a few days ago that drones were being built around the world for prices of between 5 and 10,000 US$, and while not as capable as the Reaper or other RVs, they were still useful. Was not sure if the US Military-Industrial complex were scared of losing sales of their own expensive, over-priced models, or the US military were scared of being spied upon!

I also wonder if they can make a giant one of these.

thanks for that advice girl.

Looks not much different to me than a toy helicopter encased in a mesh. Such toy helicopter, with gyro is sold for approx. 5000 to 10000 Yen in Akihabara, depending on size and quality.

Well, my 6 year old son likes to play with it (the helicopter) outdoors, but it only works reliable, when there is low wind velocity. Seems our inventor has the same problems.

A peeping toms wish list toy

Great! Let's just hope it's not used the wrong way. I would hate to see these things flying around everywhere survaling the population. There's enough cameras already to set up a1984 type society

How when someone in Japan invents something, his Japanese-ness is played up in the media? Americans have been quietly pioneering such drones, but the media doesn't play up their nationality/culture, etc.

You wouldn't believe if I said I saw probably a prototype of this 3-4 years ago while resting inside a hot spa and looking up in the sky! My guess then was it was a small UFO of lilliputian aliens or military project especially because it was close to a military training zone and they had a maneuver earlier that day. It was spherical, flying at about 200 feet above the ground, seemed to be a bit larger than this photograph, and in a different color, maybe brown. It flew in a straight line north-southward at low but consistent speed. Anyway, interesting to see this announcement now ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN7-1BSiYrQ its not exactly his invention this is the same thing except its a disk

Wow, what a neat little prototype! I could see many wonderful uses for that, but I am sure evil awaits with grasping claws to take it over and use it for more sinister plans...... Better close your curtains ladies:)

You could use it to follow your kids to school to make sure they arrive safely :)