Mavic Pro 2.0

Red_Raven · Mar 29, 2017

hidaven said:
As a pro photographer (davenphoto.com) Resolution isn't everything. Your cell phone has close to 20Mp images. In order for the image to improve over 12Mp (current) they need to go to a bigger sensor period. Just like the P4P. I have gotten beautiful 4MP shots out of Canon bodies years ago because of the pixel SIZE. Size means everything when it comes to DR and such. Cramming more pixels into a small sensor is actually WORSE. My guess is that they will not get into a sensor the size of the P4P for a long time. Doesn't make sense as they would have to increase the camera size to nearly the P4P and that's a pretty big footprint. The Mavic is what it is and for what it is, its remarkable. A cellphone (good cellphone) sensor and in good light can produce nice shots. To make that sensor bigger means increasing the size. Any bigger the portability is less dramatic than the Phantom series and you might as well just go with the P4P at that point. get both like I did : ))))

Have you spotted out any room for a full frame chip? [emoji3]

kenny lee · Mar 29, 2017

I want 4K at 120FPS

HeavensAbove · Mar 29, 2017

Refleks said:
I would like to see a Mavic XL

Same basic design, about 20% larger

Partner with THERMAPP which offers a relatively high resolution thermal sensor (people out to 300m, vehicles out to 500-800) and create an interchangeable gimbal payload for search and rescue, security, house R-Value inspection

Interchangable gimbal package would also allow for upgrading cameras

A 360 degree situational camera (see kogeto Dot) basically downward facing camera that shoots at a mirror shaped like a cone. Software warps the image back into something you can recognize. In automatic mode it will always display whatever direction the velocity vector is in.

It wouldn't work during big maneuvers but in cinematic, tripod or slow speed tracking it will let you simultaneously film the subject with the main camera while a picture-in-picture shows you what you're about to run into if you don't pay attention

360 degree collision avoidance

Anti-wire collision avoidance (forward facing laser "fanned out" perpendicular to the ground) to supplement the normal collision avoidance especially for loss of signal RTH flight. Will also help with trees

Downward facing IR illumination turned on as needed to help VPS at low altitudes /
low light, and for precision landing in low light

Ability to set ATTI mode priority to prevent crazy things from happening while flying indoors

Integrated GPS tracker and sim card

Basic water resistance of the electronics (even if not feasible for the motors), 30m @ 1m

Quick change motors

Dual micro SD card slots for redundant recording should one card go bad on an important shoot, or to allow higher data transmission rates (Think Raid 0 but for SD cards)

GPS grid "estimate" capability of a point of interest. The drone knows it's own location and space (via internal GPS), knows the point of interest's direction from the drone (via internal compass) and knows what angle the camera is at to center it in the display. Using this it calculates and returns an estimated gps location of the subject (estimated because without something like a laser rangefinder it's not going to be precise). Useful for search and rescue, security or LEO work.

Maybe a health monitoring system that tracks temp, stability etc of each motor to predict failure, recommending replacement.

Also experiment with software solutions to see if there is a way to compensate for loss of a motor in flight (not allow you to control it, but just keep it upright and emergency land at a safer downward velocity. This isn't to save the drone, but reduce risk of injuring anyone around)

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Maybe a companion tethered drone. Like the MAVIC XL but tethered. Power is fed via wire from ground with large battery, inverter, generator or wall socket. Battery not needed, except maybe just enough for emergency descent should power be interrupted. Weight saved can go towards payload (HAM radio repeater or similar to get a signal higher, thermal camera for security work, high res camera for news, etc).

8 motors (same location, but one facing down and one facing up, to allow for redundancy and reduced load on each individual motor), won't fold up the same but maybe quick disconnect arms. Drone keeps constant tension on cable and attempts to counter wind to stay as vertical as possible. Max alt: 400 feet, max duration: potentially until a component fails so long as power is available

Good suggestions, well thought out. Until it went a bit, well, weird at the end.

So no one is flying the tethered drone, so when it rains, the wind gets up or something goes wrong what happens? I'm struggling for applications too. Can't see there being a big enough market to make it a viable product.

As they say on Dragons Den, I'm out.

Refleks · Mar 29, 2017

HeavensAbove said:
Good suggestions, well thought out. Until it went a bit, well, weird at the end.

So no one is flying the tethered drone, so when it rains, the wind gets up or something goes wrong what happens? I'm struggling for applications too. Can't see there being a big enough market to make it a viable product.

As they say on Dragons Den, I'm out.

Lol yes a tethered drone has very niche applications

I still think I would buy a hypothetical Mavic XL though