( CNN ) -- Even when a drone 's small , turned off , unarmed and resting on a table in a coffee shop , it can make people uneasy . That discomfort could change in the next few years as the airborne gadgets become commonplace and more people buy personal drones . Startups are already popping up with different takes on design , uses and price . The latest aerial offering is the PlexiDrone by DreamQii , a midrange drone for photographers who do n't want to mess around with additional complicated technology . White and unremarkable-looking , the PlexiDrone is simple to put together -- just snap in the four propellers and two pieces of landing gear . It can hold a GoPro , the drone photographer 's camera of choice because of its light weight , or other lightweight cameras and camcorders . `` This is not designed to be a toy ; this is a tool for the average person to use , '' said Klever Freire , founder of PlexiDrone , who showed off his creation last week in , yes , a coffee shop in Brooklyn . The consumer drone market is still wide open for newcomers due to a combination of tangled Federal Aviation Administration restrictions , high price tags , privacy concerns and a bad reputation . Airborne photography is the most popular consumer use for drones , and the Phantom line from DJI currently dominates that field . DreamQii wants to take on the slick white and red Phantom drones with a slightly less expensive design and some quirky features . The PlexiDrone 's landing gear can be pulled up in flight so that a camera is able to capture a true 360-degree view without obstructions . Pilots can control the device from a smartphone or tablet , pointing to any direction on a map to set a route . The apps can also control the camera position and track flight hours . When it 's not flying , the PlexiDrone is programmed to speak when turned on but not in the air . It spits out a mixture of warnings ( such as your GPS is offline ) , explanations and casual chitchat in a British accent or voice of your choosing . `` Sometimes it has a little bit of a dry wit and sometimes it has more of a sarcastic sense of humor , '' Freire said . The FAA is slowly working on clearing commercial unmanned aerial vehicles , or UAVs , for use . ( It 's expected to announce details by the end of this year . ) Last week , the agency issued an exemption that will allow a handful of TV and movie companies to capture aerial footage with drones , but regular people are still on a short leash . So to help consumers stay out of trouble , the PlexiDrone is also programmed to obey the law . Amateur drone users ca n't go above 400 feet , and the devices ca n't be used for commercial purposes without express permission . PlexiDrone limits use of the device accordingly . Like many UAV entrepreneurs , Freire comes from an aerospace background . He worked for Bombardier Aerospace , the company that makes Learjets , for six years . DreamQii now has seven employees , mostly aerospace engineers and one biomedical engineer . At its 800-square-foot office in Toronto , the company prints out drone prototypes on industrial-grade 3-D printers and tests them in a 10-by-10-foot cage . On Wednesday , it kicked off an IndyGoGo campaign to get attention and funds for the first run of 1,000 drones . These early devices go for $ 480 to $ 1,200 and are scheduled to ship in early 2015 . Freire said the PlexiDrone will cost between $ 800 and $ 1,700 when it becomes more widely available after the first run . The PlexiDrone is meant primarily for photographers , but Freire said he hopes to find other uses . `` We 're working with a researcher who wants to create a metal detection halo . He wants to swarm these thing together to find landmines . '' Google reveals secret drone delivery tests .
The result is a new ready - to - fly drone for aerial photographers . Software ensures the drone do n't break the rules by responding to FAA regulations . Over the next few years , drones could become just another common consumer gadget .