Ring Drone Cam Prototype Crashes Twice in CBS Demo; Manual Controls Dropped

A prototype of the Ring Drone Cam, an indoor security drone from Amazon-owned Ring, crashed twice on CBS Mornings on November 10 while a CBS News correspondent flew it by hand. The same day, the company announced the 165-gram drone at a price of $249.99. After the demo, Ring said the device will not have manual controls when sold, which matters for buyers because the drone will rely on automated flights.

What happened on air

Correspondent Jo Ling Kent asked Ring founder Jamie Siminoff whether she could fly the drone, and he loaded manual controls onto a phone for her. The drone crashed on her first attempt. On the second, with a CBS camera pointed at the phone screen, it sped up and crashed again.

Siminoff said on camera that the second crash was not her fault because the drone had lost its connection. According to him, a drone that loses connectivity is supposed to stop and land, but this one did not. CBS's narration said collision avoidance "apparently malfunctioned" in the first crash, and that Ring declined to share the video the drone recorded. Siminoff had said the drone uses artificial intelligence to avoid crashes, and he voiced confidence that the company can resolve the problems before launch.

Kent said on air that this was Ring's third prototype, and that stair navigation and syncing with other Ring devices were not working in the demo.

What will be sold

Ring told CBS after the demo that it will no longer offer manual flight controls, so owners will send the drone to rooms they specify. Manual controls may come after further testing. Ring told tech outlet The Verge that the drone works only on pre-programmed flight paths. Spokesperson Sam McGee said autonomous flight to patrol points using the AI Pilot is the best customer benefit and experience.

The drone is due to ship on January 27, 2027, a date that still depends on authorization from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).