- Nobody is flying this drone.
There's no human at the controls.
This flying camera can follow me
without crashing into trees or obstacles all by itself.
It maps out the world using a set of cameras,
it predicts where I'll go,
and it keeps me in the shot.
It's called the Skydio 2,
and it's one of the most amazing gadgets
I've ever flown?
(electronic music)
Last year I got the chance to play with its predecessor,
the Skydio R1,
which could also follow me through a park
without crashing into trees.
I wanted it so badly.
But the actual product just didn't make any sense to buy.
It was big.
I couldn't fit it in my backpack.
I couldn't really fly it like a normal drone
because it didn't have a controller,
and it cost $2,000 on sale.
But today, Skydio is launching a second,
more consumer-friendly model, the Skydio 2.
The Skydio 2 does fit into a backpack,
and at $1,000 without a controller,
it's going head to head with DJI's Mavic Drones in price.
Only it does have an optional controller,
one that lets you take the Skydio out to three kilometers
instead of being tied to your phone's WiFi,
and one that Skydio says a three year old
could learn to fly.
Here's how easy.
I'm just pushing forward on the right analog stick,
and it's dodging these trees by itself.
You can do the same thing backwards too,
since it's got omni-directional sensing.
But I'd be lying if I said this
rebranded $150 Parrot Anafi controller
is the thing that excites me about this drone.
Or even the 40% battery life increased to 23 minutes,
or the 50% decrease in size and weight.
It's that Skydio's second gen flying system
is even more impressive
than the one that blew me away last year.
While the Skydio 2 only has six cameras
to the R1's original 12,
they're no longer the low-res black and white affair
that couldn't see tiny tree branches reliably.
They're 4K, full color,
with a 200 degree field of view.
Skydio says that's enough angular resolution
and processing power to see smaller obstacles
from far enough away to fly
fully autonomous at 36 miles per.
And if you're mostly looking for a drone that flies itself,
the company has another intriguing optional controller
you'll be able to buy.
This is an Airwalk that lets me just point it
where I'd like the drone to go,
or tap a few buttons to set its course.
But it also doubles as a GPS beacon,
so the Skydio can automatically hunt you down,
even if its cameras lose track of where you're going.
Even in my brief demo,
it was clear the navigation system has been improved.
Watch this.
The original Skydio R1
would've totally gotten stuck behind this fence.
And I saw the Skydio 2 whip around
to keep me in the shot
in ways the original wouldn't have dared to attempt.
Here's a mind-blowing video
of what the drone actually sees according to Skydio.
The company claims the camera system's intelligent enough
you can fly it indoors, too.
Of course, none of this matters if the drone
doesn't capture photos and videos worth sharing,
and it seems Skydio's improved there, too.
You're looking at a 12.3 megapixels Sony sensor at F2.8,
that shoots 4K video up to 60 frames per second
at up to 100 megabits per second,
or 120 FPS at 1080p if you want to try some basic slum.
It's a little bit choppy here in low lighting
without an ND filter.
But we can already see greatly improved dynamic range.
And Skydio says it'll have
third party snap on magnetic filters post launch,
if that's what's keeping you away.
It also helps that Skydio 2 has a three axis
gimbal for stabilization this time,
one that can also point fully upwards.
You know, in case some industrial warehouse wants a drone
that can inspect a vehicle's undercarriage.
That could happen, by the way.
While the consumer version of Skydio 2
is programmed to keep a one meter protective bubble
around itself at all times,
they're letting partners bring that down to 50 centimeters
to slowly squeeze into human sized spaces.
And the company says it'll be
announcing some partnerships down the road.
But here's something else fascinating about Skydio.
These drones aren't coming out of a Chinese factory.
They're all made right here in Redwood City, California,
where former Apple and Tesla engineers
are stress testing every piece of this drone.
Co-founder Adam Bry says
every single Skydio R1 was built and shipped right here
on this miniature assembly line,
and the Skydio 2 will be the same to start.
Here's where they put thermal compound
on the magnesium alloy frame,
which acts as a giant heat sink for all the chips.
Here's the industrial robot arm
that tests all the drone's cameras.
Bry says every single drone will
run the gauntlet before it ships.
What we're seeing here is impressive,
both for what this drone is capable of,
and that they're able to build it right here.
But it also makes me a tad skeptical.
The Skydio 2 is trying to be the drone for everyone.
For people who'd never dream of flying a drone
'cause they're afraid of crashing it,
for aerial cinematographers,
and yet it's just this tiny bay of stations
producing this craft for theoretically
everyone who'd want it.
So for now, you're gonna have to put some money down.
Skydio says these will be available in limited quantities,
and it's asking for $100 deposit on your pre order.
I'm impressed enough that I'm seriously thinking about it
if I were an early adopter
dying to show this off to my friends.
But I coulda said that about the $2500 Skydio R1 as well,
and I didn't actually end up buying that.
But that's me spending an hour with the Skydio 2 in a park.
We're gonna put this drone through its paces later this year
and tell you if it's really worth buying.
Thank you for watching our video with a flying robot.
If you liked that, check out our video
with a walking robot dog named spot.
Also, this is me falling off a scooter, good bye.