What comes in a white cardboard box , weighs little more than a kilogram and can be purchased in a few clicks from Amazon ? Few people would guess a drone -- a term that conjures up stealth strikes and spy movies . But that 's the point for DJI , a Chinese company that dominates the young but growing market for personal and commercial drones . It wants to make the airborne gadgets , if not soft and cuddly , at least unremarkable . `` It 's made of white plastic . It 's not scary . It 's pretty accessible to most people , '' says Eric Cheng , DJI 's director of aerial imaging . The company 's ready-to-fly Phantom photography drone makes it a `` global leader , '' in small unmanned aerial systems according to Frost & Sullivan , a research group . DJI believes drones like the Phantom will soon become another `` camera in your bag , '' allowing photography enthusiasts to embrace `` dronies '' with same fervor as `` selfies . '' `` It 's sort of an extension of the selfie stick really , '' says Cheng . `` It 's an unlocking of the third dimension for camera positioning . '' Their latest four-propeller drone is equipped with a high-definition camera and a wi-fi transmitter lets pilots watch the video streamed live to their smartphone that attaches to the controller . Mounted on a three-axis gimbal or stabilizer , the camera can be rotated while the drone hovers in place enabling it to capture stunning aerial images such as close-ups of a volcano . Transition . The company was founded in 2006 by engineer and remote control helicopter enthusiast Frank Wang , who started out making kits for hobbyists before launching the Phantom range in 2013 . It has expanded quickly , growing from 20 employees in 2009 to 2,500 , who are mainly based at company headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen . Operating at the cutting edge of a new technology is rare for Chinese companies , which are typically regarded as manufacturers of ideas and designs hatched in Silicon Valley and elsewhere . It 's the kind of company that China needs more of if it wants to make the transition from world 's factory floor to a home for innovative companies with global reach . Cheng says Shenzhen marries the best of China 's manufacturing prowess with a rich pool of design and engineering talent . `` You do n't have to wait eight days for a prototype to come back in . '' Confusing regulation ? Its early lead puts it at the heart of the debate over regulation of the drone industry , which has been dogged by red tape , privacy concerns and a poor reputation . Many fear drones landing in backyards and peering in windows . Cheng says the policy environment is confusing for most users . In the U.S. , amateur drone users ca n't go above 400 feet ( 120 meters ) , and the devices can only be used by hobbyists . The Federal Aviation Administration is working on clearing commercial unmanned aerial vehicles and details are expected by the end of the year . Other jurisdictions such as Australia and New Zealand allow wider use , says Cheng , and the company 's drones are used in fields ranging from mining and agriculture , to nature conservancy and real estate . As drones catch on in the mainstream , the company has built in features to help first-time pilots . The device is programmed to avoid airports and automatically returns to a home point if it flies out of range . `` Most people are successful with the product and consider it easy to fly , '' says Cheng . `` That said , it 's still a flying machine so it has the potential to hit things and crash . '' Just do n't call it a drone . In an hour-long interview , Cheng only uses the word `` drone '' when pressed and says the industry is struggling with the terminology . But with `` I want a drone '' now reportedly one of the top recurring search terms based on Google autofill data and the word widespread in the media , the company says it 's now focused on changing what drone means to people and regulators . `` It 's really heartening -- once people use them , it 's not a struggle to get them to think of the drone as a generic thing rather than ( something ) scary . ''
DJI wants to make aerial photography drones mainstream . Says drones nothing to be scared of ; allow creative photography . Comment: