MULTI-PURPOSED SELF-PROPELLED DEVICE

1 . A self-propelled device comprising:

a wireless interface;

a housing;

a propulsion mechanism;

a camera; and

one or more processors to execute an instruction set, causing the self-propelled device to:

using the camera, generate a video feed;

transmit the video feed to a controller device via the wireless interface;

receive an input from the controller device indicating an object or location in the video feed; and

in response to the input, initiate an autonomous mode to autonomously operate the propulsion mechanism to propel the self-propelled device towards the object or location.

2 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , wherein the self-propelled device comprises an aircraft.

3 . The self-propelled device of claim 2 , wherein the executed instruction set causes the self-propelled device to autonomously detect and maneuver around obstacles in propelling the self-propelled device towards the object or location.

4 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , wherein the camera is mounted on a gyroscope of the self-propelled device.

5 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , wherein the executed instruction set further causes the self-propelled device to:

initiate a control mode to (i) receive command inputs from the controller device, and (ii) operate the propulsion mechanism to accelerate and maneuver the self-propelled device based on the command inputs.

6 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an inertial measurement unit;

wherein the executed instruction set further causes the self-propelled device to:

receive feedback from the inertial measurement unit to compensate for a dynamic instability of the self-propelled device; and

based on the feedback, dynamically stabilize pitch, roll, and yaw of the self-propelled device.

7 . The self-propelled device of claim 6 , wherein the inertial measurement unit comprises at least one of a three-axis gyroscopic sensor, a three-axis accelerometer, or a three-axis magnetometer.

8 . The self-propelled device of claim 6 , wherein the propulsion mechanism comprises a plurality of independent motors, and wherein the executed instruction set causes the self-propelled device to dynamically stabilize the pitch, roll, and yaw of the self-propelled device by generating correction signals for independent execution by the plurality of independent motors.

9 . The self-propelled device of claim 6 , wherein the executed instruction set further causes the self-propelled device to:

maintain an orientation awareness of the self-propelled device in relation to an initial frame of reference.

10 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) device to provide GPS data to the controller device.

11 . The self-propelled device of claim 1 , wherein the controller device comprises a mobile computing device executing a software application specific to controlling the self-propelled device.

12 . The self-propelled device of claim 11 , wherein the mobile computing device comprises one of a smart phone or a tablet computer.

13 . A computer-implemented method for operating a self-propelled device, the method being performed by one or more processors of the self-propelled device and comprising:

using a camera of the self-propelled device, generating a video feed;

transmitting the video feed to a controller device via a wireless interface of the self-propelled device;

receiving an input from the controller device indicating an object or location in the video feed; and

in response to the input, initiating an autonomous mode to autonomously operate a propulsion mechanism of the self-propelled device to propel the self-propelled device towards the object or location.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the self-propelled device comprises an aircraft.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein in the autonomous mode, the one or more processors operate the propulsion mechanism to autonomously detect and maneuver around obstacles in propelling the self-propelled device towards the object or location.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

initiating a control mode to (i) receive command inputs from the controller device, and (ii) operate the propulsion mechanism to accelerate and maneuver the self-propelled device based on the command inputs.

17 . A controller device comprising:

a display screen;

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller device to:

receive a video feed from a self-propelled device;

display content corresponding to the video feed on the display screen;

receive a touch input on the display screen indicating an object or location in the video feed;

in response to the touch input, generate a command signal to command the self-propelled device to initiate an autonomous mode to autonomously accelerate and maneuver towards the object or location; and

transmit the command signal to the self-propelled device for execution.

18 . The controller device of claim 17 , wherein the controller device comprises one of a smart phone or a tablet computer executing a software application specific to controlling the self-propelled device.

19 . The controller device of claim 18 , wherein the self-propelled device comprises a radio-controllable aircraft.

20 . The controller device of claim 17 , wherein the executed instructions cause the controller device to generate the command signal by (i) mapping a relative position of the object or location in the video feed with a position of the object or location in a frame of reference of the self-propelled device, and (ii) including instructions to maneuver the self-propelled device toward to the object or location based on the frame of reference of the self-propelled device.