

While this is a model helicopter, it's no toy. The 4-channel chopper from DigitTronics flies 2000 feet high and up to a mile away, transmits streaming video to your laptop, runs 20 minutes on a battery charge, even has infrared night vision capability, and the kicker? It's selling for $299 during CES.
We got a close-up look at this baby on the CES show floor, and it flies like helicopters costing $1000. Its auto-gyro feature lets it hover without any input from you, and it's about as controllable as the real thing. Watch it fly, then study the gallery for this precision tool for flyin' and spyin'.
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Via DigitTronics
By karpet at 7:04 PM ON 01/08/09
I call shenanigans. Their website lists the chopper at $499, the banner in the vid says $249 and nothing on the site mentions a camera system. And people in the RC communities don't speak highly of Digitronics - http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=802593. I don't know that I would recommend these clowns. Oh, and according the US FAA, unmanned flying vehicles are asked to remain below 400 feet to avoid collisions with full size aircraft. 2000 feet is not realistic.
By BoxerFanatic at 10:48 PM ON 01/08/09
Yeah, I am not so sure about that.
I have a heli that size, and while it is easy to fly, it certainly does not have the capabilities that this is advertising.
Even 2.4Ghz digital control won't sustain flight controllability more than a few hundred feet away, and you would lose eyesight contact with the helicopter at that range. Flying by fixed forward camera is probably not all that feasible on a craft that small.
Fixed pitch coaxial rotor helicopters of that size are susceptible to wind, and can be destabilized pretty easily, and certainly don't stay in one place.
It is an interesting premise, and not exactly a new one... but this is promising more than machines of it's class can deliver, even ones with solid reputations.
By mike at 3:57 PM ON 01/09/09
Flys for 20 minutes on a full charge. Even if this thing can go up 2000 feet and a mile away i dount the battery will last long enuff for that to happen, much less go that high and far and turn around and come back. But i can imagine paying 300+ for this and then actually getting it up 2000 feet just to watch the battery die and then it starts falling.......bye bye $$$$$$$$
By DONT BUY THIS at 9:28 AM ON 01/20/09
DON'T BUY THIS RC HELICOPTER. The users manual is a joke and you cannot use the product if you try to follow the insrtuctions. The company does not answer their phone or emails. BBB rates them as a "D"
By mswan at 11:25 PM ON 01/24/09
DO NOT BUY!!!
I just bought one at a trade show. When I got it back to my room i opened the box to check it out. It was missing the battery charger and inatructions ... I suspected that it had been used as a demo but did'nt think any more about it. I did go back to the booth and i got a charger and other documentation. Once i got it home I realised that it indeed it was a demo, it had crashed, the fuselage was cracked and the throttle did not work. I'm pissed. I live on the other side of the world to where Digitronics is located and am not sure of my options. After reading reviews on these guys I feel I may have to lick my wounds and walk away from it.
By siiix at 7:42 PM ON 01/25/09
are you guys kidding you expect from a asian company a usable instructional manual ? where did you guys live in the last 20 years ? LOL, anyhow the expectations you guys having i would recommend to look to a $2000 model not a $250 one, i personally think that even if that thing only last 20minutes and has no manual what so ever, if it has a camera is an excellent deal for $300... manual LOL yeah right - you guys are too funny
By flybill at 3:18 PM ON 12/25/09
i bought one at a County Fair. Has no instructions whatsoever. Anyone have any type of owners/operators manuel?? I can't find a web site for them to order a manuel. Anyone know the web site?? Bill
By pman at 11:37 AM ON 01/06/10
their web is "digittronis.com"and there is not much 2 see.
pman:
their web is "digittronis.com"and there is not much 2 see....More »