SELFLY’s Flying Phone Case Takes Hands-Free Aerial Selfies

By Yonatan Sredni, NoCamels February 21, 2017 3 minutes

Selfie, Selfly, drone. Courtesy of Selfly

Tired of stretching your arms to the limit just to take a selfie? Do cameras, tripods and selfie sticks frustrate you? A new Israeli invention that turns your everyday phone case into a flying aerial picture-taking drone may be just what the world needs! (LOL)

Well aware of the problems selfie takers face, Israeli gadget maker Hagay Klein created SELFLY, a pocket-sized camera drone that snaps snugly into a smartphone case when it’s not in use. SELFLY channels the power of smartphones to help selfie lovers take their photos to new heights – literally.

A remote camera

SELFLY is essentially a remote camera for your phone that can be snapped off your phone case and autonomously flies to capture amazing aerial photos. Launched in late January on Kickstarter, SELFLY’s crowdfunding campaign reached its initial goal of $125,00 in just five days, and has already more than tripled that sum with over $464,000 pledged so far.

Utilizing the smart camera technology to take the ultimate selfie, SELFLY’s 9mm thin phone case uses high end stabilization and autonomously flies to capture amazing views, and even record videos from new perspectives. Users simply snap SELFLY off their phone, set it in the air, and let it do its magic – with no remote control system necessary.

SELFLY: “Your own personal photographer”

“Think of SELFLY as your own personal photographer which can take the greatest overview shots,” Klein, SELFLY’s CEO, said in a statement. “SELFLY can capture the most amazing moments from different aspects and fits right in your pocket – perfect for anyone who hates dealing with selfie sticks and drones.”

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Imagine a camera that can stay stable in the air, just like a tripod. By manipulating the picture on your phone through the SELFLY app, just as users would with any photo, SELFLY receives flying orders in order to capture the best angle possible, including 360° panoramic views. SELFLY can recognize faces and smiles, and compacts and packages that technology into an accessory that can be used by everyone, every day.

The SELFLY phone case is designed to fit most smartphones used today. Compared to most drones, that cost upwards of $500, SELFLY sells for a much more modest price of $99.

Through the Kickstarter campaign, the company aims to bring the device into mass production so that soon anyone can carry a SELFLY in their pocket and capture any special moment, from any angle.

“Not flying a drone, you’re controlling your camera”

“We built this from scratch to be as convenient and as simple as it is to use a smartphone,” Klein said in an interview. “You don’t think about how to use your smartphone, you’re not afraid of using your smartphone, it’s just your smartphone. So until now you had on your phone a front camera and/or a back camera, and today you have a third camera but it’s a detachable camera that you can take off your phone, put it wherever you want. You’re not flying a drone, you’re controlling your photo. It’s as simple as that.”