DJI Phantom 4: The Smartest Drone Yet?

DJI, the world’s leading maker of unmanned aerial vehicles, on Tuesday launched the Phantom 4, the first consumer quadcopter camera (or “drone”) to use highly advanced computer vision and sensing technology to make professional aerial imaging easier for everyone.

The Phantom 4 expands on previous generations of DJI’s iconic Phantom line by adding new on-board intelligence that make piloting and shooting great shots simple through features like its Obstacle Sensing System, ActiveTrack and TapFly functionality.

TapFly in action.

“With the Phantom 4, we are entering an era where even beginners can fly with confidence,” said DJI CEO Frank Wang. “People have dreamed about one day having a drone collaborate creatively with them. That day has arrived.”

The Phantom 4’s Obstacle Sensing System features two forward-facing optical sensors that scan for obstacles and automatically direct the aircraft around the impediment when possible, reducing risk of collision, while ensuring flight direction remains constant. If the system determines the craft cannot go around the obstacle, it will slow to a stop and hover until the user redirects it. Obstacle avoidance also engages if the user triggers the drone’s “Return to Home” function to reduce the risk of collision when automatically flying back to its take off point.

With ActiveTrack, the Phantom 4 breaks new ground, allowing users running the DJI Go app on iOS and Android devices to follow and keep the camera centered on the subject as it moves simply by

DJI Global Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Offering Big Savings on Phantom 3 Drones

The biggest name in the consumer drone market, DJI Global, is currently celebrating their 10th anniversary. It's amazing to think about how far they came, starting by offering flight controllers and progressing to amazing all in one aerial photography/cinematography platforms.

DJI is offering a limited time discount on their three entry level Phantom 3 drones. These are:

• The Phantom 3 Standard for $499 ($799)
• The new Phantom 3 4K for $799 ($999)
• The Phantom 3 Advanced for $799 ($999)

No word on long these sales are going to last so make sure to take advantage of them before they're gone.

FAA Announces Small UAS Registration Rule

Registration Begins on December 21, 2015, First 30 Days are Free

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms) including payloads such as on-board cameras.
The Registration Task Force delivered recommendations to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on November 21. The rule incorporates many of the task force recommendations.

“Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I’m excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation.”

Registration is a statutory requirement that applies to all aircraft.  Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners may use either the paper-based process or the new streamlined, web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based system must be at least 13 years old to register.

Owners may register through a web-based system at www.faa.gov/uas/registration

Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon completion of the registration process, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft. Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.
The normal registration fee is $5, but in an effort to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly, the FAA is waiving this fee for the first 30 days (from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016).
“We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season,” said FAA Administrator Huerta. “Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly.”
The online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation – for example, using an unmanned aircraft in connection with a business. The FAA is developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016.

The full rule can be viewed here: www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/20151213_IFR.pdf

Just Announced: DJI Phantom 3 Advanced and Professional-Edition Quadcopters

DJI has just announced the latest update to its Phantom line, which looks set to be a direct replacement of the Phantom 2—the Phantom 3. Initially, two versions will be available, the Advanced Edition, identified by silver stripes on the prop arms, and the Professional Edition, likewise distinguished by gold stripes. The most notable feature of these new quadcopters, at least as far as the aerial market is concerned, is the incorporation of a purpose-built, three-axis, gimbal-stabilized camera system similar to the one currently found on the Phantom 2 Vision+. Differentiating the Advanced and Professional models is the video resolution of the camera. The Advanced tops out at 1080p, while the Professional bumps recording capability I suspect, up to 4K-UHD (3840 x 2160) but have not yet confirmed. On the photos side, both cameras are equally blessed, able to capture 12MP stills in either JPG or DNG RAW format.

The flight control system carries over the same GPS-assisted features to which we've become accustomed with other DJI Phantoms. These included IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) to keep stick orientation on the transmitter relative to the pilot regardless of which way the aircraft is pointing, automatic Return Home if contact with the transmitter is lost or at the press of a "panic" button, plus the ability to hold in a fixed hover, the latter a crucial feature for aerial filmmaking. On top of GPS, the Phantom 3 introduces to the Phantom line the optical flow sensor that originated on the Inspire 1. This technology combines a ground-facing camera taking rapid-fire photos with sonar to enable reasonably precise positioning where GPS is unavailable—especially close to the ground or indoors.

Along with the radio control system, the camera-equipped Phantom 3 aircraft also feature a digital downlink, which can beam a live video feed to a mobile device on the ground end at up to 720p resolution (most likely the device will need to be USB-tethered to the transmitter, as with the Inspire 1, but this is unconfirmed). The app used to access this feature is an update of the previous Pilot app.