DJI have just released their latest drone and this one has some stellar upgrades. The Phantom 4 has some very, very important upgrades. Sure there’s a redefined body stacked full of new sensors, there’s raised blades to make sure they never get in your shots, but the autonomy and brains inside this drone are second to none right now.
The Phantom 4 has collision avoidance, which makes this the safest drone available. This happens automatically, so if you instruct the drone to take a specific flight path, then it’ll monitor the approaching environment and perform millisecond calculations as to the deviation necessary to avoid colliding with obstacles. DJI say the drone is capable of sensing objects up to 15 metres ahead.
Another great feature is the ability to follow a person or object. TapFly allows you to circle an object on the screen and have the drone track that object, making sure the subject is in frame the whole time. This counters a number of competitors who’s main selling point was this follow technology.
The Phantom 4 can now fly for a massive 28 minutes and up to a staggering 5km in distance, well exceeding what’s legal in Australia. The drone can now travel at 72km/h, at that speed, achieving amazing shots of vehicles is now possible and travelling that fast, its the perfect time to add collision avoidance to be safe.
At this point, you’re probably sold, so head over to DJI’s store to buy the Phantom 4, if not, check out these videos and more detail below.
REVOLUTIONARY MATERIALS AND REFINED AERODYNAMICS
A new, specially designed, magnesium core increases the stiffness and rigidity of the Phantom 4 without compromising weight. Working in tandem with the battery, it lifts the center of gravity closer to the level of the props which increases agility and responsiveness. This is all placed within a sleek and aerodynamically efficient shell.
SENSE AND AVOID
Front obstacle sensors combine with advanced computer vision and processing to give the Phantom active obstacle avoidance that allows it to react to and avoid obstacles in its path. Additionally, DJI’s Vision Positioning System has been refined, increasing its effective altitude by over 300% from the Phantom 3’s altitude to 10 meters and sharpening up its positioning capabilities, allowing for greater security and confidence when flying indoors.
TAPFLY
The Phantom 4 reacts to your touch. In TapFly mode, simply tap on the live view on your smart device screen to send it flying in that direction. With Obstacle Sensing Systems you can watch it fly without worry.
ACTIVETRACK
Using ActiveTrack, the Phantom 4 will recognize your subject, follow them naturally, and keep them in the frame. No GPS bracelet, tracker or beacon required.
MULTIPLE FLIGHT MODES
Switching flight modes to meet your needs, whether you are looking for simplicity and intelligent navigation, speed or smooth cinematic movements is easy.
FLY FAR FOR LONGER
Fly for 28 minutes, an increase in effective flight time of 25% from the Phantom 3 Professional. Enjoy (5km) of range, with complete control and a live 720p HD view of everything the camera sees.
HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMERA
Shoot sharp, clean video in up to 4K at 30fps and Full HD 1080p at 120fps for slow motion, through a newly designed lens that dramatically increases sharpness.
INTELLIGENT FLIGHT POSITIONING
The Phantom 4 connects to both GPS and GLONASS, allowing it to connect to satellites faster and position itself with extreme accuracy in the air.
BUILT-IN REDUNDANCIES
Dual compass modules and dual Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) allow the Phantom 4 to constantly check the data it is receiving. This means any incorrect data can be isolated and ignored without ever affecting your flight.
All of this doesn’t come cheap, especially to Australians. The new Phantom 4 is available now and costs A$2,399. Sure that’s steep, but lets face it, we’re talking about the industry leader here. The collision avoidance that Intel showed off as a technology demonstration at CES last year is now in a commercial product available for purchase. If you order today, you can have one arriving (no it doesn’t deliver itself) on March 15th.