By Andrew Liszewski
While it looks like one of those professional RC helicopters that should only be controlled by an experienced pilot lest someone loses a limb, the ID1-Swat from Rotor Concept’s actually looks as easy to fly as those palm-sized Air Hogs models. At least the demos at their small booth at CES were impressive since the electric chopper effortlessly hovered in the air, even when there was no one at the controls. Thanks to a “state-of-the-art high performance heading hold gyro” if things start to get out of control you just let go of the sticks and the ID1-Swat will level itself and remain hovering where you left it.
Its 11.1V, 1500mAh lithium-polymer battery, which powers two electric motors, is good for about 15 minutes of flight time, and the 4-channel, 2.4GHz remote gives it an impressive flight range of a 1 mile radius and up to 2,000 feet high. And to top it all off there’s even a wireless video camera in the front giving you a first-person view of the entire flight. $499, back-ordered until mid-February.
