DJI Spark Named Top 25 Invention By Time Magazine

Every year, TIME magazine compiles what it considers the best inventions of the last 12 months.  To determine who makes the unranked list, TIME considers hundreds of inventions from every corner of the planet.  Past lists have included everything from the floating lightbulb to the desktop DNA lab.

This year the DJI Spark ($499 at DJI) appeared on the list as a “Drone That Put Selfie Sticks to Shame”.  According to TIME:

“Airborne drones have exploded in popularity over the past few years, improving everything from mapmaking to search-and-rescue operations. The DJI Spark has a more down-to-earth goal: helping anyone take better photos, videos and “dronies,”a.k.a. drone selfies. To that end,it’s easier to operate( gesture recognition means you can control it with a wave of your hand), harder to crash (an array of sensors help prevent midair collisions) and relatively cheap ($499)—though its maximum flight time of 16 minutes is shorter than higher-end models. “We see Spark as the starting point of a whole new series of drones,” says Paul Pan, DJI senior product manager. So far, that strategy is working: thanks in part to the Spark, which launched in June, China-based DJI sells half of all drones bought in the U.S. —Alex Fitzpatrick”

With flight modes and features often found in drones well over a thousand dollars, the DJI Spark produces 1080p video and captures 12 megapixel stills.  And it’s small enough to fit in any bag and many pockets.

Expect to see a lot more of them, especially now that DJI’s Black Friday deals have already been released!