An Australian company is making radio-controlled helicopters with a built-in video camera:
The Swann Sky Eye™ RC helicopter is a one of a kind. With authentic-looking military markings and jungle green camouflage coloring, it’s a chopper with hidden talents. The Sky Eye™ has a cockpit camera able to shoot 640 x 480 pixel videos or 320 x 240 pixel images at the push of a button. Capture any aerial mission onto the built-in memory then transfer the files to your PC via USB connection. The Sky Eye™ has a built-in rechargeable 3.7V Lithium battery that charges in 70 minutes directly from mains power to give you 6 to 8 minutes of action-packed flying time. The remote control transmits using a powerful 27MHz radio frequency allowing the chopper to fly faster, higher and further up to 100ft (30m).
It isn’t exactly news that such a device exists. What I find interesting is that it is available off-the-shelf for just $99 – much cheaper than the AR Drone which is $350 in Australia. That makes spying on your neighbors from above very easy to achieve.
And I’m sure there are many other people places you could film, who hadn’t planned on a camera arriving from above. And I expect that most governments haven’t yet formulated laws to make it illegal.
