Vivo patent shows a smartphone with its own built in flying drone camera
As tech miniaturises concepts like this become increasingly feasible... and many more.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2022) 'Vivo patent shows a smartphone with its own built in flying drone camera', 311 Institute, 18 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/vivo-patent-shows-a-smartphone-with-its-own-built-in-flying-drone-camera/ (Accessed: 8 October 2026).
Everyone loves drones. Everyone loves smartphones. And everyone loves cameras. And soon you might be able to get all of these in a single awesome gadget, that is if a new patent showing a “detachable camera module that can fly like a drone” from Vivo gets the green light.
We all know that in time almost all tech gets smaller, lighter, more performant, and cheaper and this is a great example of that trend in action. According to a LetsGoDigital report, the Chinese tech giant filed the patent images for the smartphone a while ago and as you can see it appears to have a design similar to a modern smartphone but something is unique about the camera that will be housed on the handset’s bottom part.
When the camera pops out from the device, its four propellers make it capable of flight, and it comes equipped with its own battery and three embedded infrared proximity sensors to make sure it doesn’t hit anything.
Furthermore, as all operations are entirely on the smartphone, in case of low power, charging the phone will charge the camera battery simultaneously, and as the flying camera has to be both light and small, the flight distance will probably be limited.
What this means for your organisation
A patent is a signal, not a product.
Vivo, a Chinese tech giant, filed patent images for a phone with a camera module that detaches and flies. A patent does not guarantee a launch. It does show where hardware teams are looking as tech gets smaller, lighter and cheaper.
Small sensors make small flight safer.
The flying camera carries three infrared proximity sensors so that it does not hit anything. Infrared sensors are rated Watch, with wide use expected by 2036. Time of flight sensors, which time how long light takes to bounce back, are rated Explore, with wide use expected by 2031.
Power will cap what the camera can do.
The camera has its own battery and charges with the phone. Because it has to be light and small, flight distance will probably be limited. Polymer batteries are thinner and hold more energy, and are rated Explore, with wide use expected by 2034.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our products could gain from a detachable, self-powered module?
- Are we tracking sensor and battery progress that could shrink our own hardware?
- What would we do if a rival shipped a phone-based drone first?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As tech miniaturises concepts like this become increasingly feasible... and many more.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Vivo smartphone drone camera en.letsgodigital.org
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 18 February 2022. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2022). Vivo patent shows a smartphone with its own built in flying drone camera. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/vivo-patent-shows-a-smartphone-with-its-own-built-in-flying-drone-camera/
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