News from DJI: Drones Save Lives

Unmanned aerial vehicles have become increasingly popular in the last several years amongst hobbyists. Taking photographs of beautiful sunsets, capturing cinematic videos of sweeping landscapes or racing aircraft competitively against friends have all become aerial shot staples.

However, drones have far more capabilities than just capturing artistic shots and racing.

One unsung, less publicized aspect of drones is their contribution to humanitarian endeavors; the simple ability of drones to save lives. This phenomenon has piqued little significant public interest until now.

The global leader in the manufacturing of drones, DJI, has released verified data concerning incidents where drones have come to the rescue.

The company has compiled cases where DJI aircraft and the aircraft of competing manufacturers have played a significant role in saving lives. Inevitably, far more cases have occurred on a daily basis across the globe but have gone largely unreported.

In one incident in China, a DJI Phantom lowered supplies to distressed people who were standing aloft a mountain of flood-water debris.

Admittedly, with recent advances in technology, there are now more elaborately engineered drones that can be customized for such tasks.

For example, the recently released M200 from DJI is a multi-purpose platform that could be potentially customized for humanitarian purposes.

The M200 models are water resistant with an IP43 rating. The aircraft also has a hot-swappable dual battery system and a 35-minute flight time which helps in conducting longer flights. The aircraft’s safety features include obstacle avoidance sensors facing forward, up and down, as well as an ADS-B receiver for receiving advisory information from manned aircraft close by. Compatible cameras are the DJI XT, X4S, X5S and Z30.

With the Z30 camera the operator can zoom in for a closer inspection of a disaster area. The infrared XT camera can see heat signatures of people in search and rescue scenarios. The M210 RTK is identical to the M210 but has an additional RTK unit which ensures centimeter precision navigation.

A variety of other examples of drones playing a crucial role in saving lives include rescuers in Turkey who deployed a drone to locate a lost film crew – some members of which began to suffer from hypothermia. A pair of kayakers in South Carolina were located during nightfall by first responders using a drone equipped with thermal imaging. In Canada, a drone with an infrared camera helped first responders find people lost in snow.

It is evident with these and other examples, that drones can play a significant role in helping first responders save lives in perilous situations. As more drone aircraft are deployed in these scenarios, more impressive heroic stories like those detailed above will arise.

 

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DJI Leads the Way in New Report About Lifesaving Drones

DJI reported Lives Saved: A Survey of Drones in Action, DJI compiled a number of reported cases of lives being saved by drones. DJI, the largest consumer drone manufacturer, has maintained a consistent record of working against needless and complicated restrictions over airspace and flight regulations. Recently we’ve seen them up against a recent threat level classification by the FAA which would place many toys and consumer drones in a higher threat category than necessary. As part of the Drone Manufacturer’s Alliance, they are also up against a recent change to Canada’s drone airspace regulations that makes flying more restrictive for hobbyists.

After even a cursory glance at DJI’s report, it’s apparent that DJI aircrafts are the stars in over half of the cases (at least 10/18, though in some cases the drone used was not mentioned). So why are DJI aircrafts featured in the majority? Of course one can say DJI is keen on focusing on their own aircraft, but as described above, their motivation isn’t entirely selfish as any case where a drone was essential to someone’s safety was included in this report.

Here are a few practical reasons why DJI aircrafts across the board are used for public safety:

1) Presumably main reason of course is availability. DJI has captured so much of the market (about 70%) with their aircrafts that nearly anywhere a disaster or emergency occurs there is a DJI aircraft within a few miles.

2) DJI drones are also almost always immediately ready to fly. The batteries charge in about an hour and most pilots have charged batteries on hand. It takes most DJI aircraft less than 2 minutes to get up in the air whereas some others have significantly longer setup times.

Joshua (TX) Fire Department.

3) Range and flight time. DJI aircrafts like the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro have the longest range and flight times of any consumer or enterprise drone on the market, by far. With and off the shelf range of 5 miles and flight times pushing 30 minutes per battery, even amateur pilots can survey huge areas for maximum coverage.

4) The quality of the video feeds coming from DJI aircrafts is high enough quality for previously invisible details to be seen from afar. 1080p video is pretty much necessary when you are flying up to 400 feet in the air. The videos themselves when grabbed from the onboard SD cards are full 4k, so even tiny details can be seen.

Photo: Midway Fire Rescue

5) Thermal and zoom cameras. DJI crafts like the Matrice and Inspire lines can carry an array of cameras. The 2 most commonly featured in Search and Rescue and public safety cases are the Zenmuse XT (thermal) and Z30 (zoom). The XT offers stabilized and glitch free video whereas other aircrafts with thermal cameras send a jerky and static ridden video back to the pilot – making the already low resolution thermal image even harder to view. The Z30 is one of the only affordable high-zoom cameras available for commercial drones and can only be mounted to DJI drones.

Overall, it’s fantastic to see a company as large as DJI working for pilots. If it were left up to regulatory agencies, restrictions may be even tougher on using drones for safety. We need a major manufacturer to be a voice of reason and show how powerful a tool for public health drones can be.

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Top 3 Features of the M200 You Should Know

The new enterprise drone solution from DJI, the M200, has loads of new features for industrial users. Let’s dig into the top 3.

1.) 38-minute flight time (no payload) / 24-minute flight time (full payload)

To support the variety of payloads including carrying up to 2 cameras, the M200 comes with more powerful motors and a new battery system. Similar to the Inspire 2, the M200 features dual batteries for redundancy, ease-of-transport, and more power. There are two options for batteries, TB50 and TB55. TB55 batteries are wider and hold 7660mAh instead of the 4280mAh that the TB50s have. While the TB55’s allow for nearly double the flight time with full payload, they are above the watt-hour limit for transportation on airplanes, which can be important for many drone-flying travelers. Both batteries also have a self-heating encasing so they can handle sub-zero temperatures.

2.) IP43 Ingress Protection

Until now, most drones were at the complete mercy of the weather. They historically cannot handle heavy wine, high levels of moisture, and rain. The M200 changes that. It has an Ingress Protection rating of 43. Ingress Protection ratings are an international standard for measuring the sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against foreign bodies (dirt, dust, objects) and moisture. The first digit is the rating for solids and the second digit is the rating for liquids. The “4” for solids means that the enclosure can keep out objects greater than 1mm and the “3” means the enclosure can keep out spraying water less than 60 degrees from the vertical, in other words, rain. This is very important for jobs that must be done in the elements, such as for search and rescue or rain-or-shine inspections.

3.) DJI Airsense

The M200 also has a built-in ADS-B receiver. ADS-B stands for Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast. ADS-B allows for “real-time precision and shared situational awareness.” It takes ground radar and navigational aids to a whole other level. With this system, pilots can see where other aircraft are in the sky, pinpoint weather and terrain hazards, and even get flight information such as temporary flight restrictions. By 2020, all aircraft operating in controlled airspace will be required to have ADS-B. Incorporating this in drone technology now will keep operators one step ahead and make flight in various environments even safer.

These new features combined with the various other benefits make the M200 platform an excellent choice for safe, intelligent drone flying for everything from industrial inspections to search and rescue.

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Drone Technology Descends on the Agriculture Industry

At this year’s SIMA in Paris, one of the most important international agricultural business trade shows in the world, farmers and agricultural industry executives were introduced to a number of drones specifically designed to help farmers around the world work smarter and more efficiently in areas such as crop inspection, irrigation management, crop consulting and spraying.  By utilising innovative drone technology coupled with the very latest software farmers are able to reduce the time it takes to complete routine tasks, maximise crop yields and ultimately increase their profits.

SIMA 2017 Credit: DJI

One of the stars of the show was DJI’s AGRAS MG-1S, an upgrade of the DJI AGRAS MG-1 which was launched back in 2015.The AGRAS MG-1S integrates a number of cutting-edge DJI technologies, including the new A3 Flight Controller which has an algorithm optimised for agricultural use ensuring stable flight even with sloshing liquids disrupting the balance of the aerial platform. The radar system is made up of three high-precision, millimetre wave radars that are placed on the front slope, rear slope and the bottom of the spray tank. Radars on the front and the rear slopes of the spray tank detect the terrain allowing the aircraft to adjust its height. The downward radar then provides high-precision height. As the radars scan, the MG-1S is able to perceive the change of terrain, adjust its altitude and maintain its altitude above the crops providing additional reliability during flight. When paired with the MG Intelligent Operation Planning System and the DJI Agriculture Management Platform, farmers are able to work with a powerful tool to plan operations, manage flights in real-time, and closely monitor the aircraft operating status.

DJI AGRAS-MG-1S Credit:DJI

Farmers increase profits with dedicated software

To get the most from drone technology farmers should choose a software package that allows them to fully exploit using an aerial platform like the AGRAS MG-1S or DJI Matrice platforms.

The DJI Smarter Farming package is an end to end solution for precision agriculture. The package enables complete crop analysis management  thanks to DJI’s aerial mapping technology and the use of PrecisionHawk software. Farmers are not only able to complete tasks much quicker but they are also able to get a more precise picture of the health of their fields.

A healthy future for technology in the agriculture industry

Traditionally farmers have had to spend many hours in their fields to carry out their day-to-day work but with over 230,000 visitors from five continents to SIMA, it’s clear that farmers are ready and willing to embrace the very latest innovative technology to save time and grow both their fields and businesses.

 

 

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Car License for Drones?

On March 22, 2017, global leader in consumer drone manufacturing DJI published a white paper that brings innovative thought-leadership to industry regulation. With the occasional media stories of privacy intrusion or drones being used for nefarious purposes, there is an increasing call for more robust governance.

Currently the US has a registration process, so if for any reason a drone gets into the hands of authorities following an infraction, the registration number can be verified against a database and the owner identified. However, in the case of a real-time incident where the aircraft is aloft, still hovering high in the sky so no registration number or identifier is visible, it would be difficult for authorities on the ground to be able to act.  For example, if a drone flies over a National Park, which is largely prohibited in the USA, and then the aircraft disappears from sight, how is an observing Police Officer or Park Ranger able to determine the culprit?

For this reason, DJI has suggested a unique, real-time solution to identification. Every drone would transmit, by radio, its location as well as a registration or other unique code.

DJI’s idea is that each drone has an inexpensive system on board that broadcasts its location and an identification number so that a person on the ground with the correct equipment can receive the broadcast. The name and address of the owner would not be revealed at that point, hence maintaining the owner’s privacy. Only law enforcement or FAA authorities would have that capability.

Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs commented, “DJI understands that accountability is a key part of responsible drone use, and we have outlined a proposal that balances the privacy of drone operators with the legitimate concerns authorities have about some drone operations,” he continues, “this is another example of how the UAS industry is innovating solutions to emerging concerns, and we look forward to working with other stakeholders on how to implement the best possible system.”

The FAA was instructed by Congress to develop ways to identify pilots of drones and was given a 2-year deadline to do so. DJI’s white paper is suggesting a workable solution. The system has been likened to cars having a license plate; anyone can see the plate but only authorities can identify the name and address of the owner.

The technology that DJI is suggesting could easily be integrated into drones. For example, DJI’s most recent releases, primarily the DJI Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 Professional, M200 and Inspire 2 (with X5S camera) would all be suitable candidates as could all other aircraft in the DJI fleet.

The technical solution that has been suggested by DJI is relatively simple to implement and if widely adopted by all drone industry manufacturers, could go one step closer to making these flying miracles safer for the whole community.

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