DJI has just revealed its second FPV, the DJI Avata. The DJI Avata is smaller and much safer to fly than its first FPV. The new aircraft measures 180 x 180 x 80 mm and is 120 mm diagonally, while the first-gen FPV is comparatively massive at 255 x 312 x 127 mm and 245 mm diagonally. The drone has quite a number of safety features.
For starter, the new DJI Avata has an integrated propeller guard making it safe to be around anything. And when it bumps into something, it will bounce back and regain stability and maintain its altitude.
Furthermore, in the event that it falls on its back, activating the Turtle Mode will flip it back onto the right side up, thus allowing you to get back into the air without physical intervention.
And then there is the Emergency Brake Button that lets you instantly stop the aircraft and hover in place at a press of a button.
Finally, there is, of course, the Return to Home button that lets you bring back the drone to the launch point automatically at a press of a button. The Return to Home will also trigger automatically in the event it is running low on battery.
DJI Avata is an imaging drone that is optimized for FPV flying. It is outfitted with a 1/1.7 CMOS sensor paired with an f/2.8 aperture, ultra-wide 155-degree FOV optics for capturing 48 MP photos, recording 4K at 50/60 fps video, and 2.7K at 50/60/100/120 fps.
The imaging capability is further bolstered by support for electronic stabilization, upgraded stabilization algorithm as well as DJI RockSteady 2.0 and DJI HorizonSteady. The former is an anti-shake feature while the latter keeps the footage level to the horizon.
Images and footage can be recorded on the onboard 20 GB storage and on microSD cards.
Along with the introduction of the DJI Avata, DJI also revealed a new controller and FPV goggles, the DJI Motion Controller, and DJI Goggles 2. The old DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 and DJI FPV Goggles V2 are also compatible with the DJI Avata, btw.
As far as the new DJI Goggles 2 goes, it is smaller, lighter and features, diopter adjustment, and supports livestream at 1080p at up to 100 fps, max video bitrate of 50 MBPS, and transmission latency as low as 30 ms. It has a range of 10 km range (6.2 miles). The DJI Motion Controller is basically a wireless joystick that lets you use hand motion and minimal buttons for control.
The new DJI Avata also features DJI GEO 2.0 geofencing system, DJI AirSense ADS-B receiver system, DJI AeroScope technology, as well as downward vision and ToF sensor for navigation.
The aircraft offers three modes of flight: Normal, Manual, Sport, and up to 18-minute of flight time on a single charge.
Now for some numbers… it has a max ceiling of 5,000 meters (16,404 feet), max ascent and descent speed of 6 m/s (21.6 km/h or 13.4 mph), max flight distance of 11.6 km (7.2 miles), max wind speed resistance of 10.7 m/s (39 km/h or 24 mph), and a max speed of 27 m/s (97 km/h or 60 mph) in manual mode.
The DJI Avata is available to buy from DJI online store and authorized DJI retailers starting today. The drone without goggles or a controller sells for US$629. Getting the drone with the new goggles and motion controller will run you back at US$1,388 (Avata Pro-View Combo).
Or you can save a bit and get it with the last-gen goggle and motion controller for US$1,168 (Fly Smart Combo). There is also a battery package, known as Fly More Kit, that includes two Avata Intelligent Flight Batteries and an Avata Battery Charging Hub, going for US$279.
All images courtesy of DJI.
