Let me cut to the chase, the Skydio R1 fully autonomous drone is amazing and the best drone available for the intended purpose…but also NOT cheap! If you have ever thought, wouldn’t it be great if I just had a flying camera that I could launch from my hand and have it follow me filming 4k video for about 20 minutes per battery, avoiding EVERYTHING in its path (yes even a forest of trees), super easy to create clips and share, but robust enough for full video editing? This is exactly what the Skydio R1 delivers on.
Disclaimer: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
“If you have ever thought, wouldn’t it be great if I just had a flying camera that I could launch from my hand and have it follow me filming 4k video for about 20 minutes per battery, avoiding EVERYTHING in its path (yes even a forest of trees), super easy to create clips and share, but robust enough for full video editing? This is exactly what the Skydio R1 delivers on.”
@TechDadCO
The post above from Instagram is a perfect example of how easy this drone is to launch, set the follow mode, and then just ride. This was my FIRST time ever using the drone and I took it out solo. Was I a bit nervous…yes, but that melted away within seconds of this bird buzzing around me in circles 🙂
Check out the videos on Skydio’s YouTube website to get a sampling of what this autonomous flying machine is capable of. Also, in the spirt of “things that continue to improve over time” this drone just continues to get better with software updates. Additional features and preset flight patterns and settings just makes this another example of tech that continues to improve over time…not get quickly outdated.
A particularly useful mode for calculated/planned video capture is Cable-Cam mode (watch video embedded above), which allows you to fly to point-A and mark that GPS location, then fly to point-B and mark that location. Then you can select a speed and press “GO.” The Skydio will continue to fly from point-A to point-B (while continuing to avoid all obstacles) while you capture your shot (either with a fixed camera head position or object tracking!) This can create amazing cinematic shots that would require an extremely expensive camera rig and professional drone pilot…but with the Skydio R1 you can do this all by yourself!
Dronie Mode (like a selfie for video with a drone)
While on a recent trip to Sonoma with friends I launched the Skydio R1 from the opening of the “tasting cave” at B Wise Winery. Simply launched from hand and drone got into automatic position, selected “dronie mode”, and hit “go!” The video above was immediately exported from the drone over the secure ad-hoc WiFi connection and shared on TechDadCO Instagram!
Car Follow Mode (even through trees!) and some Pool Dronie
It will also follow a car. I also took some footage on the recent Sonoma trip on a back country road. Flying through a grove of trees was no match! It did clip a power line once…but kept on flying (power lines and small branches are not avoidable with the drone’s autonomous software as the cameras can not pick up that fine detail)
This drone does so much more that I have not had time to fully stretch its wings yet! But I will continue to bring this one with me everywhere. I did buy the Northface backpack that Skydio sells that fits the Skydio R1, 2 extra batteries, a slot for a laptop, and room for chargers, cables, and extra props!
“This is the Tesla of drones (seriously)…It uses a full array of 4k cameras on all sides and top/bottom to view the world around it…and uses machine learning and predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to follow and track and plot its path in complex environments.”
TechDadCO
TechDadCO’s Take:
This is the Cadillac of drones…or I should say the Tesla of drones (seriously) 🙂 Really this drone is most comparable to a Tesla than any other drone out there using its core Autonomy Engine (see video below.) It uses a full array of 4k cameras on all sides and top/bottom to view the world around it (just like a Tesla!) and uses machine learning and predictive artificial intelligence (AI) to follow and track and plot its path in complex environments. It will continue to get better with the machine learning (and fleet learning from other drones and terrain encountered!)
“Combining the ease of use, peace of mind, and built in capture modes make this drone my new go to wherever we go!”
Combining the ease of use, peace of mind, and built in capture modes make this drone my new go to wherever we go! If you are considering an adventure drone to capture AMAZING footage with minimal effort, the Skydio R1 is for you! Have I given up on my DJI Mavic Pro? No way…it just serves a different use case for when I want to get high altitude aerial footage or fly far away with all the manual controls you could ask for.
I’d love to hear your comments and experiences with the Skydio (or other drone of choice), and as always, I welcome questions below in the comments section.
Disclaimer: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Tech Dad CO 