New Self-Flying Drone Can Track Where You’re Going
Drone maker Skydio recently showcased its new “self-flying” drone that can do some pretty amazing things. With its self-flying capability, the drone is able to lock onto an individual and follow the person while shooting amazing 4K quality video and avoiding obstacles such as trees, power lines, or even a dense forest and warehouse. Skydio is really priding itself on the drones self-flying abilities, making it also one of the first non-piloted drone.
The drone works simultaneously with the Skydio app and syncs with your phone’s camera for simple use. After opening the app, users will see the drone’s point of view through its 4K 30fps camera, and from there, lock onto a target. The drone will then identify characteristics about that person and begin to follow them.
While it would be neat to track someone throughout the day, the main purpose of the drone is to capture those high impact images or videos such as skiing down a mountain, surfing on the high waves, or even rock-climbing. The drone has the capability of traveling up to 25 miles per hour, all while maintaining its autonomous bearing with a 16-minute battery life. This concept comes in handy as opposed to having someone else trying to record footage, or using an on body device that cannot capture the full reaction someone might want.
While the Skydio technology is nothing new (automated tracking is being used in many of today’s automobiles), the drone does come with several types of flying modes such as “side”, “orbit” and “lead”. These options provide videographers different vantage points that can record a user’s moves and trajectory. It also has a “stadium” mode which can capture field sports.
With a price point of $2499, the product suggests a different audience, rather than novice users. Skydio seems to be interested in consumers who like the idea of shooting footage without a co-pilot and seeking different uses for the drones in commercial areas such as construction, farming, and insurance to name a few. A few big names have popped up as investors such as Kevin Durant, Nvidia, Accel, and Andreessen Horowitz, raising about $70 million to date.
The drone is available at Skydio’s website and includes an additional battery and propellers. Although the price point is pretty high, this drone could set the course for how other drones are being used today and hopefully implement the same tech into their devices. Skydio is sure to manufacture other drones in the future that are for everyday consumers.
