Skydio R1 is a fully autonomous 4K drone
The R1 has been in development for four years now, and is a quadcopter type drone that is able to shoot in 4K up to 30fps or at 1080p for both 30 and 60fps for $2,500. That’s not unusual for drones today though. What’s different about the R1 is how it uses AI and deep learning to navigate environments all on its own that other drones cannot.
The drone features five different modes:
Follow- Like the name says, the drone will follow behind you.
Lead- The drone will fly in front of you and fly backwards to stay that way.
Side- Basically the same as lead and follow but from the side.
Orbit- As you move the drone will circle around you to get cinematic panning shots.
Tripod- The drone will stay in one spot, but will pan with the subject.
Like a lot of drones nowadays, the R1 can be controlled manually through your phone, but what sets it apart is its autonomy. This drone is AI autonomous by using what Skydio has coined as the “Skydio Autonomy Engine.”
It will actually be difficult to fly into objects even with the manual mode activated, because the drone’s AI systems are always active and detect obstacles to prevent collisions. The brain behind all of these operations is the Nvidia Tegra TX1, which according to Skydio’s website is the same type of processor found in a lot of autonomous cars.
The AI used is trained to recognize humans and other obstacles as well, so it knows what to track and what to avoid as it flies to get footage. All of these systems come at a pretty hefty price, but it will be interesting to see how the R1 sells, because this is a concept that consumers have wanted for awhile now; a mainly autonomous drone that can get the shots for you consistently.
