Ring Says Drone Cam Will Ship Without Manual Controls After Crashes in CBS Demo
Ring said its Drone Cam indoor security drone will not give owners manual flight controls and will instead fly only on pre-programmed routes using an AI Pilot system. The statement came after a prototype crashed twice during a demonstration for CBS News, according to reports by The Verge and DroneXL.
DroneXL reported that the broadcast ran on CBS Mornings on November 10, the same day the Amazon-owned company unveiled the drone at $249.99. In it, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff let CBS correspondent Jo Ling Kent fly the prototype by hand through a phone app. It crashed once, and then again on a second attempt.
Connection loss blamed for second crash
Siminoff said the second crash was not Kent's fault, because the drone had lost its internet connection, which it also needs for autonomous flight, according to The Verge. CBS said the drone's collision avoidance apparently malfunctioned in the first crash, and Ring declined to share the video the drone recorded, the reports said.
“If it loses connectivity, it's supposed to stop and land.”
Siminoff added that the drone did not do so on this flight. Asked whether Ring can fix the problems before launch, he said he feels very confident the company can reach a point where consumers will not see them, according to DroneXL.
Preset routes only at launch
Kent said on air that Ring told CBS it is not going to offer manual flight controls, though DroneXL reported Ring may offer them after further testing. The Verge said Ring told it the drone works only on pre-programmed flight paths, and that the company would not show the app in the outlet's own demonstration.
In a statement to The Verge, Ring spokesperson Sam McGee said the company explored many features during development. He added: "We explored a lot of features throughout the development, but autonomous flight to patrol points using the AI Pilot is the best customer benefit and experience." Ring did not respond to The Verge's question on whether the decision followed the CBS demo.
According to DroneXL, the 165-gram drone is scheduled to ship on January 27, 2027, but that date is contingent on FCC authorization. The CBS unit was a prototype, and Kent said stair navigation and syncing with other Ring devices were not working during the demonstration, according to DroneXL.
DroneXL also cited Bloomberg as reporting that a Drone Cam that is offline can still take off and land safely. Bloomberg also reported that journalists at Ring's launch preview watched preproduction units fly preset routes without being allowed to control them, DroneXL said.
