Wiral LITE: Affordable cable dolly universal camera mount
This is definitely something unique but may not be in the "for everyone category". Its the size of a medium-sized drone but has some benefits a drone does not. I wouldn't call it portable at any rate but it is more a tool for budding filmmakers to try their hand at cable dollies without paying large sums of money for pro systems. It can be used for smartphones, action cameras and mirrorless cameras up to 3.3lb (1.5kg).
Some reasons why its better than a drone (see below). I believe they've left out the learning curve involved in flying a drone too. Setup time would be another factor (manufacturer stated time is 3 minutes but does not include time spent finding the right tie up points) and finding 2 attachment points to tie up to, which in a desert, large hall or field may be a problem.
Universal camera mounting options:
Check out the how-to video below:
Probably the biggest benefit is achieving additional shots to your film that can be paired up with regular tripod, handheld and even drone footage simply for the variety.
Visit their kickstarter page here for more info: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1332617026/wiral-lite-the-easy-cable-cam-for-impossible-film