DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Active track with hand gestures

Big Wull

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
6
Reactions
1
Age
51
Location
Stirling
Hi All

Thinking about getting a DJI Mavic Air for recording dh runs on my mtb .
My question is can i just use hand gestures for active track or do i need to use phone and controller ?
Obstacles generaly no a problem main thig is can i just use hand gestures if not what would i need to
do to get drone to follow me down side of mountian- munro- hill .
 
Hi All

Thinking about getting a DJI Mavic Air for recording dh runs on my mtb .
My question is can i just use hand gestures for active track or do i need to use phone and controller ?
Obstacles generaly no a problem main thig is can i just use hand gestures if not what would i need to
do to get drone to follow me down side of mountian- munro- hill .
on the MA2 you can wave at the drone and it will follow you.
 
ok but does the MA do that and can it do it all from hand gestures as i dont want to have to hold anything when im decending ps i wont be getting the MA2 due to size
 
That was the selling point when the MA1 was announced. You may want to at least have it connect directly to your phone/tablet so you can control it in ways you can't by gesture.
 
Gestures work fairly well with the MA1. I use it without a controller for simple stuff in the park walking the dog, around the yard, walking around the neighborhood, and such. It follows me around just fine. I've never tried it with a bike, motorcycle, car, etc....anything moving fast in other words. I can't say how well it'll work with something fast and possible obstacles. It can lose you if you happen to blend in with the background. It works best when you clearly stand out.

Turn on the MA1 and let it fully boot up. Stand in front of it with your palm out, like telling it to stop, so it can acquire you. It'll beep and tell you. Then slowly raise your palm a bit and it will take off and hover.

To go up: Raise your palm slightly.
To go down: Lower your palm slightly.
To move away: With both palms together, spread them apart.
To move to you: With both palms apart, bring them together.
To take a picture: Make a Peace Sign. (2 fingers)
To start/stop video: Make a square, thumb/forefinger in an L with both hands.

That's basically all there is to it. As long as it sees you and responds then it's following you. If it loses you it'll just stop and hover. Go back in front of it and raise your palm again so it acquires you. It'll only go about 20' high max and maybe 25' away from you max.

This is one of the MA1's great assets. It's so small you can just toss it in the glove box or in a saddlebag. I take mine everywhere, just in case I'm somewhere really nice and want some selfies, a quick video, or just a follow me with pics and video. I think I fly mine more without the controller than with. My MA1 is my personal selfie fun drone, and it's absolutely brilliant. Plug it into the cigarette lighter to charge while I'm driving to the next spot. Wouldnt trade my little guy for anything.
 
Cheerz Fred

That all i needed to know i do understand its not perfect and may lose me .
When you say " blend in" would you say shape or colour affects it ? eg would hi viz help compared to wearing a camo top ?
 
Cherz Dan

The reason i ask about hand gesture is i just want it to follow me nothing special.
When im on bike all controls will be in backpack .
If i cant do that there is no point in me getting it .
 
Cheerz Fred

That all i needed to know i do understand its not perfect and may lose me .
When you say " blend in" would you say shape or colour affects it ? eg would hi viz help compared to wearing a camo top ?

I don't really know as I haven't tested acquisition loss thoroughly. It seems to mostly lose me when I walk by, or in front of, something where my body shape isn't clearly defined, like bushes. I don't know if wearing a hi-viz vest would help. I'm not that versed on exactly how the acquisition lock works.
 
It works fine using just the gesture controls, and as you say, it’s great if you don’t want to carry the controller. DJI has several videos on how to use gesture... also on the tube.
 
yeah watched a few vids on youtube and it looks a bit hit and miss as to working or not but main thing is i dont need the controller in my hand
 
It works best if you are wearing a contrasting color from your surroundings. If you ride behind a tree it will lose you. (I tried tracking ATV riding). The only thing is that it may not be able to keep up. [emoji1375]I haven’t fully tested that theory yet though.
The only need for you(or someone) to be holding the controller is to catch it before it hits something or gets off track or something.
 
Cheerz artic ive pulled the triger its getting delivered tommorow ...the main reaso for getting this drone was i didnt need the controller for simple things so hopefull it works ..willl update .
 
  • Like
Reactions: arcticfrost
I've never been able to get it to move more than 20-25 feet away from me, but it's followed me all over the neighborhood and the park.
 
You do not have limit from the starting point, but, with gesture control, you have limits in distance from the subject(max. about 6 meters) and for the altitude(only few meters, for sure not more than 6). When I tried, it could follow me while I was running. But I think it can follow you up to his max. speed.
 
Pretty much my experience with it.

Is it the same system as on the M2P? A buddy and I tried, in the park one day, to have my M2P follow one of my Typhoons. Took both up to about 50', brought the M2P to within 20' of the Typhoon, and acquired it. As long as the Typhoon moved very slowly, the M2P would follow it...but once you picked up speed or changed direction, it would easily lose it.

Maybe I wasn't doing it right...or maybe it was just asking too much of the M2P....but that could have been some really cool footage of the Typhoon.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,596
Messages
1,554,226
Members
159,602
Latest member
Tenakeetwo