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Fatdoor wants to bring you closer to your neighbors, using drones

Fatdoor wants to bring you closer to your neighbors, using drones

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Wouldn't your neighborhood be just a bit friendlier if you didn't have to walk over to someone's house every time you wanted to lend them something? Instead, it might be better if you just sent it over by drone and told them about it through a social network — at least, that's the unlikely idea behind a new Kickstarter by Fatdoor, a social network for connecting neighbors that closed in the late 2000s and is being relaunched today.

Social droning

The site will offer a number of traditional services, like the ability for neighbors to post their thoughts and sell items, but its catchiest feature is deep integration with a custom drone that it's calling the Skyteboard 3G. Fatdoor says that the Skyteboard's data connection is a first for drones, allowing it to be controlled over the internet even when it isn't connected to a Wi-Fi network. The drone will be controlled over iOS and Android apps, and controls for it will actually be built directly in to the Fatdoor network.

Fatdoor's plan is to allow neighbors with drones to synchronize their flight paths and even set landing locations outside their homes, making deliveries easy. Those deliveries will have to stay fairly light though: the Skyteboard will only hold around a pound of cargo, but that should at least let you borrow a cup of sugar. Fatdoor also recommends mounting a GoPro camera onto the Skyteboard. The drone already has one camera built in, and Fatdoor thinks that a two-camera system will make it perfect for neighbors who want to record their kids' soccer games with drones flying overhead — however strange a sight that might be.

Fatdoor's goal is to have its network and drones facilitate interaction throughout local communities, restoring the lost communication from a more innocent time in the world. It even thinks that a squad of drones might be able to fly a banner around a neighborhood advertising an event, getting everyone up and out of their homes for a block party. Most neighbors might call that a nuisance, but Fatdoor is hoping that believers in its dream of a connected neighborhood will get together to raise $300,000 to make it happen. Drones are being offered as rewards for $1,099 a piece.