Skip to main content

This flying egg drone is yours to preorder for $1,288

This flying egg drone is yours to preorder for $1,288

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

PowerEgg

The PowerEgg is up and flying. Those aren't words I expected to write this morning, but sometimes life surprises you. The Egg in question is actually a drone made by Chinese company PowerVision. Renders of the craft were first shown off earlier this year, but now the company has actually demonstrated that their drone can fly. It's even available for pre-order — yours for $1,288, with a shipping date scheduled for this October.

We've still got questions about the PowerEgg though. Although a few outlets have seen it in action (check out this video from CNET to see the Egg in action), the tests appear to be limited, and we haven't seen any footage from the drone's 4K camera. Although before this, we were skeptical that the Egg even existed, as the company had only published renders of the devices. So this is certainly a step forward.

A rendering of the PowerEgg with its rotors and legs extended.

Whether the PowerEgg is worth your money isn't a question we can answer right now, but it's certainly an intriguing design. The craft's rotors and landing legs fold up into its body while not in use, turning the drone into a smooth white egg. This shape also means that an underslung camera gets an uninhibited 360-degree view of its surroundings, and the Egg can stream video back to its pilot over distances of three miles. A 6,400 mAh battery (loaded in the top) will keep the drone aloft for around 23 minutes.

An as well as a traditional joystick that gives experienced pilots full control over the drone, PowerVision has also created a controller for the PowerEgg that's more like a Wii Remote. It uses gesture control to direct the craft, with pilots able to swipe in the air to steer the Egg left and right, up and down. Exactly how precise this is (or how easy to use) remains to be seen. The Egg is be available for pre-order through PowerVision's website.