Crowdfunding project of the week: MOTUS turns your phone into a pro cameraman

It’s Sunday and that means we are here to talk about yet another ‘Crowdfunding project of the week’. This is where we highlight the coolest tech from sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Shall we dig into today’s featured tech?

Other featured projects: 

• Jelly is a tiny phone running Android Nougat
• Cosmo Connected smart brake light for motorcyclists
• Spark turns your phone into a DSLR camera remote

We are always asking people to record us doing stuff, but many of you can attest to the fact that our friends are usually pretty bad at handling a camera. What gives? Enter MOTUS, a smart robot that will turn your smartphone into what the company calls a professional cameraman.

The idea is simple. This robot holds your phone and operates with internal motors to point the device’s camera at you. These are said to be extremely silent and smooth. Not only that, but the device can even zoom in and out, making sure you always appear as detailed as possible.

But how does this thing know who or what to follow? An included tag can be work around your neck, in a pocket or around a helmet. As long as you carry it around the camera and unit will follow you at up to 200 feet with a 10 cm accuracy.

You also need not worry about your battery dying on you. This thing doubles as a battery pack to keep your phone nice and juiced up. The one downside is that the Android app won’t be available right at launch, but it is in the works.

Pretty cool, right? Those interested can put their names to one of these by backing the Kickstarter campaign with as low as $329. That’s for the Super Early Bird special and spots are running out, so you should act quickly. It’s not exactly cheap, but we believe it is a fair price for good quality footage.