In the last couple of years, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become almost ubiquitous. From military bots that do surveillance and targeted killings in Afghanistan and Yemen, to small, brain-controlled helicopters designed as educational tools and toys. As their use becomes commonplace, the technology behind them becomes more sophisticated. There are already various companies and researchers working on bio-inspired drones like the hummingbird spying drone. Normally, these are expensive projects by defense contractors for military clients. But now a small startup has launched an Indiegogo campaign to produce small, dragonfly-like flying robots for just a couple hundred dollars. The Dragonfly drone is being developed by TechJect, a spin-off company of Georgia Tech's Robotics & Intelligent Machines Lab. The project has already received $1 million in funding from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Through this Indiegogo campaign the company hopes to bring this small drone to consumer houses and offices.

There will be various versions of the Dragonfly, from one that simply flies around controlled from your computer, iPhone or Android smartphone to a more complex and expensive one equipped with Wi-Fi, GPS, two cameras and more powerful motors. The most impressive feature, however, might be its appearance. "The Dragonflies are indistinguishable from an insect in the environment," the developers wrote on the Indiegogo campaign page. "Imagine that level of camouflage guarding your house or keeping a watch on your kids/family; it literally goes unnoticed." SEE ALSO: Control This Small Helicopter With Your Brain [VIDEO] With its size and its ability to blend in the surrounding environment, the developers expect the Dragonfly to have a wide range of applications: from aerial photography to home or office surveillance — and more. "With up to 20 environmental sensors, cameras and GPS capabilities," reads the Indiegogo page, "it can be developed to track athletes and outdoor events, or integrated with an App as a fun way to retrace a day of skiing, hiking or whatever you like."

An image on the page suggests you could even use it to play with your cat.ar drone parrot mercadolibre All these applications, however, will depend heavily on the flying time that the battery will be able to achieve. parrot ar drone mercadolibreTechJect says they will have 8 to 10 minutes hovering time and 25 to 30 minutes of "hybrid flight time." drone camera price in pakistan olxUsing this hybrid flight mode, the Dragonfly can extend its battery life alternating flapping its wings and gliding like an eagle. ar drone parrot solaire"The Dragonfly can switch between each flight mode back and forth," TechJect told Mashable.ar drone 2 eladó

Check out the video above to see the prototype in action and learn more about this impressive micro-drone.parrot ar drone dx6i Illustration courtesy of TechJectTechject Inc. Home of Ultra-Miniature Flight Computers, Auto Pilot Systems, Avionics and Robotic Accessories Techject Innovations Corp. fulfills custom engineering and design in robotics and biologically inspired systems. Techject Innovations Corp. also provides contract based enterprise level solutions for Flying Vehicles. Why you need to get oneRobotics and Intelligent Computing is growing smaller by the day. That is the reason your smartphone fits in your hand and does more than a TV, a computer, a book, a pen, a phone... all put together. We at TechJect are revolutionizing Micro Robotics, so you can design, build and even commercialize your dreams. From micro-computers, to smart avionics to sensors & cameras, we specialize in Micro.

Even the Robot Dragonfly uses all of our micro-electronics to pack more than the power of a smartphone and full-fledged avionics suite into the world's smallest form factor. SmallOutmatching the smallest in the world; super compact, super-low profile and portable. TechJect's robotic flight systems are getting smaller and smaller with each iteration. Our goal is to make robots pocketable - literally.SmartThe MARC line of miniature computers are as smart as the application requires them to be. Offering numerous computing packages to meet applications from Fun, Gaming to Security and Advanced Research.ModularUnlike any robot out there, the TechJect's micro flight solutions can be modified and are modular. Choose your application and customize your robot. Simply plug and play a new upgraded avionics package.We endeavor to make every robot the coolest gadget anyone has ever seen. Customize shape, color and specifications. Augment them with the most miniature of all computing engines at a fraction of the cost.

Help us connect with you more. We value our commitment with our customers. We'd like to hear back from you and keep you updated with what's new. Fill out your e-mail addressto receive our product updates!Remember the Robotic Dragonfly? The little drone was an early crowdfunding success story, netting over a $1 million in pledges on Indiegogo in 2012. At the time, it was one of the first crowdfunded gadgets to raise more than a million dollars. The project promised a tiny robot that can fly like a bird and hover like an insect — and for $99, too. This little drone is not taking off as scheduled. The company announced yesterday that it is in deep financial trouble. But it’s not their fault, the founders say in notes on Indiegogo. It’s PayPal and Indiegogo’s fault for not releasing funds. The company didn’t release that information. TechCrunch reached out to TechJect, PayPal and Indiegogo for additional information. This post will be updated with responses.

This is not the first crowdfunded gadget to fail to ship. It’s becoming a trend. Pirate3D promised an easy-to-use and cheap 3D printer, but the company ran out of cash before fulfilling orders placed on Kickstarter. It seems TechJect failed to even fully develop the Robot Dragonfly even though the project hit first hit Indiegogo nearly three years ago. The Indiegogo project page states the development had begun (in at least 2012) on a $1m grant from the US Air Force. “We don’t want users to wait for technology to trickle down,” the page says. Yet backers are still waiting. After the company announced the financial troubles yesterday, backers took to the comments section on Indiegogo en masse. Today, the company clarified that technically the project has not been canceled yet. The company just needs more money to continue. It also notes that if the product fails to ship, the company will release “all the company’s Dragonfly IP with full license authority to all our campaign backers for use, re-sale and more as they please to instigate recovery against their loss.”