DJI Phantom 3, Inspire 1 drones gain autonomous trips modes
Andrew Hoyle
In August, drone manufacturer DJI announced the Phantom 3 Standard , an entry-level camera-toting quadcopter with autonomous trips modes that were oddly not available for its pricier linemates, the Advanced and Professional . That all progresses on September 7 when a firmware update will add five of DJI’s Intelligent Flight Modes to those models.
These easily include waypoint navigation, point of interest (POI) flight planning and a Follow Me functioning. Waypoint navigation lets you set up a multipoint path for the drone to after while you control the camera angle, and paths can be saved so you can recreate the trips again and again.
POI flight planning allows you to set up an autonomous orbit approximately a subject at an altitude, distance and speed you lift. The Phantom 3 will fly the path keeping the camera centered on your publishes at all times.
Follow Me uses the drone’s transmitter and your phoned or tablet to track your movements. This lets you use a Phantom 3 as a personal camera operator as it follows you at a fixed altitude and distance while you do whatever. Keep in mind, though, it won’t avoid obstacles, so riding a bike meander through the woods probably won’t end well.
Joshua Goldman
Also available are Course and Home Lock plainly. The former makes all flight controls relative to your recent position. That means moving the controller’s stick left, smart, forward or back will always move the Phantom 3 in those directions, regardless of where the camera is pointing.
Similarly, enabling the Home Lock mode will make the orientation relative to yourself as the home demonstrate. This is helpful if you’ve flown beyond line of gawk and want to return home but can’t determine the orientation.
Phantom 3 Advanced owners get a bonus, too: The firmware upgrade will add 2.7K (2,704×1,520-pixel) resolution movie assume at 30 frames per second.
Lastly, a firmware update will also be available for the professional-level Inspire 1 that will add all of these Intelligent Flight Modes except for Follow Me.
Catch all the electronics news from this week’s show in Berlin.
