With a total of 13 cameras aboard, the Skydio R1 is the ultimate follow-me drone. Marketed as a pure 'self-flying camera', what makes this $2,499 product worth it?
Pros
- Impressive 360-degree obstacle avoidance
- Easy to use app
- Great quality 4K video
- Built-in hard drive
Cons
- Prohibitively priced for consumers
- Moderate battery life
- Not as portable as rivals
- Is tricked by mirrors (but that's okay)
360 Obstacle Avoidance
By far, the feature that makes the Skydio special is the camera technology. I'm not talking about the 4k lens up front, but the 12 other cameras that rapidly map the environment around the drone. The R1 senses objects, obstacles and people and actively plots flightpaths taking every detail into account. If the word 'drone' is defined as an autonomous vehicle that flies itself, the Skydio certainly is a drone in the purest sense.
How smart is it though? Josh and Alex recently got down to the task of out-smarting one - or trying to anyway.
Video Capture
With impressive stats surrounding the camera performance and a hefty price tag, you'd expect the Skydio R1 to match a DJI product. When it comes to shooting buttery smooth video, though, the movements can be a little sudden and quite jarring. It's not what you'd expect to see from a Mavic or Phantom, but then again, should we even be comparing them?
The R1 works in a completely different way to most drones. You simply launch it and let it do its own thing. Not every shot will make the cut, but when all you need to do is leave it alone, jump on your mountain bike or skateboard and ride away without worrying about your precious drone, it's quite remarkable you get any video at all - never mind some 4k quality chase footage through a dense forest or under telegraph wires.
Form Factor
One factor that stands out about the R1 in today's 2018 world of drones is that the aircraft is actually quite large. The company does say that you can fit it in a backpack, but you're probably going to have to leave your sandwiches behind as you won't have room for anything else. The body is lightweight, has carbon rotor guards and, as Josh commented on, feels expensive. You may still want to be a little careful when sliding the thing into a bag as the drone simply isn't built like a tank.
Control System
The app is easy to use and intuitively simple. As the drone flies itself, you don't have to worry about a whole lot. There are features to set functions such as 'tap-to-follow'. There's also a whole menu of other actions such as the orbiting mode. Unfortunately, though, it does seem like a missed opportunity in some ways that the drone is controlled via Wi-Fi. This limits the ability for the aircraft to track other people who are not holding the phone that it's paired with.
The Skydio R1 is certainly packed with some impressive features, yet it seems like for the price of $2,499, it's not asking for much for the company to have included some other features to make it a more all-around drone. It's aimed at completing one set mission that it achieves extremely well, but for the average drone operator without a huge pile of spare cash lying around, the R1 isn't quite there.
As Alex said in the latest test video, we're still putting this drone through its paces, so if you'd like to see us do anything in particular with it, do let us know in the comments!
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
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