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Drones of CES 2015 (pictures)

You couldn't go very far at this year's CES without hearing or seeing something related to unmanned aerial systems. Here is what we've seen so far.

Joshua Goldman
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Joshua Goldman
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Unmanned systems for everyone

LAS VEGAS -- Drones or unmanned systems were so plentiful at CES 2015 that they got their own section on the show floor.

Whether you're interested in one to fly around your living room, out at the beach or follow you around the skatepark, they're all here. And there are more to come.

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EHang Ghost

Another crowd-funded drone success story, the Ghost is all about easy capture  of aerial photos and video.

Controlled with your smartphone or tablet, you pilot it by drawing a flight path for it to follow, by tilting the your mobile device or having it auto-follow you.

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AirDog

Like the Ghost, the AirDog can keep track of your movements. However, it uses an armband loaded with sensors that communicates the data back to the drone over long-range Bluetooth. The result is your own personal camera operator.

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Hubsan FPV X4

Hubsan is well known for its palm-sized quadcopters that deliver a lot of bang for your buck. The palm-sized FPV X4 has 6-axis gyro stabilization and an HD camera. Its radio control has a built-in screen so you get a first-person view from the camera.

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Hubsan X4 Pro

The X4 Pro is a larger, more capable version of the FPV X4 with a full HD camera stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal with camera controls on its radio control, which also has a built-in screen. While it has safety features like auto-return, it also has a a parachute in case it falls from the sky.

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Hubsan Nano Q4

According to Hubsan, this is the world's smallest quadcopter. The Nano is so small it fits entirely on a standard business card. No camera onboard here, though.

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Maxaero X-Star

The X-Star closely resembles DJI's Phantom 2 Vision+ and has a similar feature set including a slot-loading battery with around 25 minutes of flight, GPS guidance and safety features and a full HD camera on a 3-axis gimbal.

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Zano

Fresh from its ridiculously successful Kickstarter campaign, the palm-sized quadcopter is controlled with your smartphone and can that can "avoid obstacles, hold its position and know exactly where it is in conjunction with your smart device."

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Micro Drone 2.0

This is an update to the original Micro Drone that arrived in 2012 from Extreme Fliers. It's a zippy little quadcopter with metal construction to withstand hard crashes just in case you get carried away doing flips with it.

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Micro Drone 3.0

Announced at CES 2015, the updated Micro Drone will offer first-person view via a Google Cardboard VR headset, it can be flown with either a smartphone or radio controller and will use modular that snap on and use magnetic connectors. There will even be a micro gimbal to stabilize its 720p HD camera.

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Trace

Trace is more than just a camera-carrying quadcopter. The main piece is the TraceR1 visually intelligent camera which is capable of autonomously controlling different devices. Those include the quadcopter pictured here as well as a RC-style car, a tripod gimbal and a dash cam. A submersible torpedo is even in the works. The camera will track a subject and live-stream directly to the Web.

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DJI Inspire 1

DJI didn't announce a new drone at CES, but it was hard to ignore the crowds around its booth trying to see the Inspire 1. What DJI did announce at the show was a handheld mount to be used with the this drone's removable 4K camera and gimbal letting you capture video and photos from the air and ground.

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