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9410094100DJI Avata 2 FPV drone review: A cheaper, more potent tool for creators
The Avata 2 improves just about everything from the very popular original while shaving some dollars off the cost.
The DJI Avata is a nimble cinewhoop drone for FPV novices
DJI has jumped on the cinewhoop trend with the Avata, an FPV drone that’s far removed from the company’s other models.
GoPro's 'Bones' is a stripped down Hero 10 Black for FPV drones
GoPro has unveiled the Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight version of the Hero 10 Black designed for FPV and "Cinewhoop" drones.
DJI officially unveils its cinematic FPV drone
The $1,299 drone works with DJI FPV Goggles V2 and offers 4K 60 fps video capture.
DJI's future first-person drone surfaces in an unboxing video
A future DJI first-person drone has appeared in an unboxing video, and it's clear this is a break from the company's usual robotic quadcopters.
DJI’s cinematic FPV drone leaks in photos
DJI looks like it’s about to release an FPV drone to go with its FPV Goggles, judging by a leak.
Parrot's latest drone includes an immersive cockpit headset
Parrot launched its 4K Anafi drone last year with the view to balancing a decent camera and plenty of features with a price tag that wasn't prohibitively expensive. Its latest model, the Anafi FPV, does the same, but with a heap more fun, focusing on total "flying immersion" via a cockpit glasses headset.
DJI reveals ultra-low-latency goggles for drone racers
Drone racers just got a major viewing upgrade. Aerial imaging company DJI has launched its digital first person viewing (FPV) transmission system, which boasts the first low latency HD video transmission signal. This means a crystal clear display, minimal lag, anti-inference reliability and range of up to 2.5 miles.
After Math: Merry Christmas, you filthy animals
It's been a wondrous week working up to Christmas Eve and not just for the guys with the Tommy Guns. Alamo Drafthouse announced it is starting a rental store and loaning out rare VHS, Protera is going to wake up tomorrow with an order for 25 of its electric buses under the tree, and Google is practically giving away its digital movie rentals. Numbers, because how else will you know how many gold rings you've got coming?
These drone racing goggles could spark the sport's digital era
Drones with digital video capabilities already exist, but in the racing world, analog is still king. For now, at least. Fat Shark has been the go-to maker of racing drone goggles for several years, and it's about to double down on digital, which in turn could be the nudge toward dropping analog feeds that the sport needs. The $350 Base HD is the company's first all-digital headset, and it comes with a fancy new 720p LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) display improved brightness, contrast ratios and clarity and a 28 degree field of view (this might sound small, but drone racing doesn't call for a huge FOV).
In 2017, drones are getting faster, more fun and easier to fix
Drones aren't new to CES, but it's only in the last year or two that they got their own dedicated area in the convention hall. But, drones are meant to fly free, not behind netting, so some bright spark invented the Drone Rodeo: an annual off-site event where the latest and greatest in UAVs could do their thing as nature intended. The event is back this year, and once again it provided a pretty good snapshot of what's going to be hot in the drone world in 2017.
UVify's Draco drone is a racing quad for everyone
You might be pretty handy with your DJI Phantom, but flying a racing drone is something else. Most consumer drones are programmed to make flying a cinch, but the trade-off is a lack of agility and speed. Racing drones right now are akin to making your own gaming PC: You need to get your hands dirty, know how everything works together and labor over it to get everything optimized. UVify wants to democratize the burgeoning sport with Draco, a ready-to-go speedy drone that can hang with the pros.
Parrot's quirky toy drones are slowly growing up
There was a time when Parrot was the name in consumer drones. That's partly because, way back in 2010 when it launched the AR.Drone, the DJI Phantom was still some years away. Today, the landscape is a little different: DJI now dominates the skies, while its competitors can't seem to catch a break. Except Parrot. The French company remains unfazed by the large industry that has grown around it and continues to do what it's always done: make fun, accessible products.
DJI's Goggles put you in the cockpit of a drone
No, this isn't another VR headset. These are video goggles from DJI. Why would you want a headset from DJI? Because it connects wirelessly to the company's new foldable Mavic Pro drone, giving you a live, bird's eye view from the camera (in 1080p no less). The idea isn't new, in drone circles it's pretty common to see bespectacled pilots, especially in racing, where "FPV" (as it's called -- first person view), is the only way to fly the drones at such breakneck speed. DJI announced the goggles (actually called "DJI Goggles") at its big Mavic launch event last week, but they weren't giving demos. We managed to get a rare ride inside them, and it's a whole bunch of fun.
Yuneec's SkyView drone goggles double as a private home theater
The world of "first person view" (FPV) flying -- where pilots don video specs to see what the drone sees -- isn't new, but consumer-friendly headsets like Yuneec's SkyView goggles might make it more accessible. Stick SkyView on your noggin' (pulled-up socks optional), connect a compatible controller -- like Yuneec's own Typhoon H -- and you'll be flying from the best seat in the house. Inside the $250 SkyView is a 5-inch, 16:9, 720p display, and it connects to any HDMI video source, not just drones.
First-person-view drone flying is the closest thing to being a bird
Just moments ago, I was flying like a hawk. It wasn't a dream, or even virtual reality. It was a real, immersive experience fully under my control. Moments later, I'm very much on the ground, poking at some dense, tangled shrubbery with a stick. I had been operating a tiny camera-equipped mini-quadcopter, via video goggles that beam the drone's eye-view right into your peepers. It's known as "first-person view" (FPV) flying, and it's an incredibly fun out-of-body experience. Imagine being shrunk to the size of an ant and sitting in a virtual cockpit and you'll have an idea of where I'm going here. Why the stick, though? Today I went too high, got caught by a gust of wind and landed on a canopy of vegetation. I'm prodding at the knotted vines in the vain hope I might dislodge it. I've become so fond of my zen-time in the goggles that my stomach sinks at the thought of all that coming to an end. I'm not leaving until I find this thing.
FPV servo controlled plane grabs epic vacation footage, puts old family videos to shame (video)
By the time winter rolls around, Alistair Roberts will probably remember his summer vacation a heckuva lot better than the rest of us. Why? Because he brought an FPV plane to record his mountain biking holiday in the Spanish sun. With a GoPro camera mounted on the servo-powered cradle, Alistair piloted the plane by moving his head and using a remote control -- all while streaming first person video from the cockpit into a pair of goggles. By pairing the high tech toy with another GoPro on his dad's mountain bike, and a stationary camera on the ground, Alistair was able to create a truly amazing vacation video from 1200 - 1500 feet in the air traveling around 20kmph (12mph) -- way cooler than any of the ones our dads recorded back in the day. Check out the video after the break. [Thanks, @btudor]
Homebuilt UAV hunts down hydrogen balloons, shoots firework missiles (video)
Augmented reality is swell, don't get us wrong, but it's no substitute for the real thing -- especially when that thing is a badass tricopter equipped with a jury-rigged firework cannon to rain down miniature hell. Swedish R/C enthusiasts built this first-person flying contraption to carry out a single mission -- destroy a series of hydrogen-filled balloons -- which will hopefully be hard-coded into future automatons too. After all, balloons could serve as an excellent distraction when they inevitably come for you. Still, there's no need to worry quite yet, so kick back and enjoy the video above while you contemplate humanity's end.
