Crashed Drone today.

[Lets Fly]

Yes it was in a completely empty Church carpark. No other cars or people and the worst part, hardly any trees. It was as safe as you could get... and i was literally crawling at 10mph. Being the lanes were wide and everything so flat, i could comfortably watch the app & drive at the same time. I was watching the drone following. When i saw it going crazy in the tree from the comfort of my car, part of me felt sick Like a dream you're glad you wake up from... I'm still a little gutted. The drone has taken some damage.

It was as safe as you could get... No it wasn't"t.

 

[ajkm]

So today was the first time i tried Active Track on my Mavic Pro 2. In an empty carpark, i thought safest place to try it. I had it follow my car, where i was going maybe 10mph. The drone was probably 20ft above the car following. It was doing ok in a straight line, however the first time i went around the corner, i decided to hit a tree and spin out of control...
...i could comfortably watch the app & drive at the same time...

In most jurisdictions, it is illegal to pilot a UAV whilst also being at the controls of a vehicle, boat, or plane... And this lack of control and attention to both is precisely why it’s illegal.

 

[tvdwouw]

Active tracking works best with higher contrast subjects - that is why in demos you may often see the subject to wear a really differently colored shirt. Also "hard" forms may change shape (e.g. when going around a corner) and the system may loose track.
And in all cases: also watch the screen en when you see things go wrong press the stop button! It saved my drones a few times! (OK, I know it's illegal, but you have to do something to save your drone!)

 

[wco81]

Latest active track and OA tech would probably be a Skydio 2.

I guess it would depend on the quality of the sensors, the number of sensors, how good the software is.

So Skydio 2 has more sensors than the DJI drones but the camera isn't as good or it falls short in other areas?

 

[Badgersurfer]

Sounds like you have been really unlucky. I regularly take my M2P off from my small orchard and have never collided with a tree. In fact the first time I took off my dog jumped up at me and I pushed right stick and it flew into a 40 foot Willow tree but it veered straight out of it avoiding any contact. I have to say, that really impressed me.
I have tracked canoes and small dinghy's on the river behind me and the AT has been amazing. Were you using DJIGo4 Trace, Profile or Spotlight?

 

[DanMan32]

Besides OA in general having it's limitations with thin branches and wires, note that Active Track imposes OA limitations depending on AT mode. Check the manual for details.

 

[Rmcolon]

So today was the first time i tried Active Track on my Mavic Pro 2. In an empty carpark, i thought safest place to try it. I had it follow my car, where i was going maybe 10mph. The drone was probably 20ft above the car following. It was doing ok in a straight line, however the first time i went around the corner, i decided to hit a tree and spin out of control. I guess the collision detection isn't all that great. I'm very lucky, the drone seems to be ok for the most part. I had to replace a couple of props, and the sensors / lights at the back feet were all scuffed up and hanging from their wires. But i managed to push them back in. The gimbal looks like it took a scuffing but that all seems to be working. I took her for a test flight and everything seems to be working ok.. I don't think i'll ever try active tracking again. What's the deal with Active Tracking. Should it not have detected the tree branches and avoided them on its own ?

Thanks for sharing your experience...That's all I need to abandon my desire to do the same... Was considering, but, no.

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks for sharing your experience...That's all I need to abandon my desire to do the same... Was considering, but, no.

Abandon if you must...

but, in the end, you won't judge your life and its results on the things you didn't do. Your life will be defined by the things you did.

 

[Rmcolon]

Abandon if you must...

but, in the end, you won't judge your life and its results on the things you didn't do. Your life will be defined by the things you did.

Exactly, "life will be defined by the things you did" and I refuse to define mine doing stupid and costly things!

 

[passedpawn]

Exactly, "life will be defined by the things you did" and I refuse to define mine doing stupid and costly things!

Haha, well now, that's a proper retort! Can't argue with the logic - we each have different ideas of acceptable risk. I'd suggest that if you want your drone to last forever, don't ever fly it.

Active Track works really well, but it's not perfect. For example, if it's tracking you and you and somebody walks past you, it's about 50/50 who it continues to follow. And,. as the story at the top of this thread illustrates, the drone's sensors will occasionally miss a branch or wire. So, maybe you should consider trying it, but well away from hazards.

 

[Rmcolon]

Calculated risks. I started flying cheap drones taking a lot of crashes. Up to $300 is Ok but at $1,600, is a bad move. Best regards from Ocala, Florida.

 

[chong67]

I dont trust DJI sensor. It can only solve basic math, not algebra. I will never do activetrack or fly it under a bridge with water.