Ring Drone Cam to Launch Without Manual Flight Controls

Ring has confirmed that its upcoming Ring Drone Cam, scheduled for a January launch, will not feature manual flight controls. According to reporting from The Verge, the device will rely entirely on an "AI Pilot" system designed to navigate autonomously around obstacles and follow pre-programmed patrol routes.

This decision follows a demonstration with CBS News involving Ring founder Jamie Siminoff and technology reporter Jo Ling Kent. During the demo, an early version of the drone equipped with manual controls crashed twice. The Verge reports that Ring attributed the first collision to a malfunction in collision avoidance technology and declined to provide the drone's recorded footage of the event. The second crash occurred when the drone hit a wall after failing to respond to manual inputs. Siminoff stated in the video that the drone lost the internet connectivity it requires to fly autonomously, noting that while the device is supposed to land upon losing connectivity, it failed to do so in that instance.

Ring spokesperson Sam McGee told The Verge that while various features were explored during development, the company determined that autonomous flight via the AI Pilot provides the best customer experience. Ring did not answer questions regarding whether the CBS News crashes influenced the decision to scrap manual controls.