These machines work in the same manner that an rc helicopter does but they look almost alien like. They are referred to as quad-copters , tri-copters , and even hexa-copters. The name is determined by the number of rotors on the machine and then copter is just added to that name . The interesting thing about the quad copter is that it has the capability of offering a stable hover and can maneuver well in the wind. There are companies that have been offering these “alien like” helicopters as aerial setups for a few years now and some people really seem to like them and are using them in places such as in the emergency services , and real estate just to name a couple.
The one thing that I have noticed about these machines is that for the size, they seem to be pretty expensive. There are the cheap toys offered on some sites but they wouldn’t be capable of carrying anything heavy like a small camera, possibly a keychain camera but nothing of quality. There is one site in particular that requires you to leave info about what you are looking for , and they would get in contact with you which in my mind tells me that if I have to ask, I probably can’t afford it. The other thing I noticed is that they offer to help you acquire a grant for it.
Then there are the other folks who just do the research, buy all the parts and then build it themselves and they really do a nice job. Those projects are expensive as well so I guess there is no way to get around the high cost.
Here are a few video examples of what quad copters look like……
RC Helimenace 