a team of researchers has devised a new jogging buddy - a drone that flies with you to keep you company .
and they claim robotic companions could be used for a variety of other physical activities such as cycling , cross-country skiing and rowing .
the research , by the royal melbourne institute of technology in australia , reported popular science , was presented at the computer-human interaction conference in seoul .
the quadcopters were programmed to follow a set path and speed , which the joggers also followed .