Clint Milby & Jake Fruia
We stopped to speak with DJI’s Michael Shabun about their new Inspire 1 drone. A popular drone on the market even before its release, we spoke with Shabun about this new 4K recording drone and its many capabilities.
The Inspire 1 is the first drone to have an integrated 4K camera, placing it truly in a league of its own. Due to both the popularity of drones and 4K in our industry right now, it’s no wonder the Inspire 1 is as hyped as it is. Though with a large sensor, 360 degree modular camera, and its built in Lightbridge transmitter (allowing you to transmit HD footage up to a mile away), it definitely seems to deserve any early praise.
One of the most interesting features Shabun told us about was the Inspire 1’s “optical flow camera” nested on the underside of the drone. This camera actually scans the ground below it and adjusts itself based on what it has mapped out. So you can fly the drone inside without it landing on someone’s head or crashing to the ground, as it’s constantly gauging where it is and what’s beneath it. This is also aids the Inspire 1’s will to survive, as its landing gear will be deployed automatically if it senses itself getting too close to the ground.
The Inspire 1 is made of sturdy carbon fiber, allowing it take a hit should anything come in contact with it, and clocks in at 65mph. The battery life, a difficulty for all drones, lasts for about 18 minutes. It shoots on microSD cards, and can be both single and dually operated, allowing one person to fly and another to operate the gimbal. DJI even has an app that lets you control the Inspire 1 with your phone, with a one touch take-off/land function that lets you program certain locations, press a button, and it takes off to those locations and comes back when it’s finished.
The DJI Inspire 1 is available for pre-order now, for $2,899 (single operator control) and $3,399 (dual operator control) with shipping to begin on about the 15th of January 2015.
For more information on the DJI, visit www.DJI.com/product/Inspire-1, and to go ahead and purchase one, visit Store.DJI.com/product/Inspire-1
