There's no general threat using Google Assistant with Go 4 app. "DJI Drone could kill…"

[John Gowland]

What has surprised me is that no one has initiated GA while flying with the Go 4 app.

 

[Greg Webb]

I don't know about anyone else but I did learn something here. I DON'T use my iPad for anything but the drone and do not have a need for Siri so why not shut it down, just to be safe? So I did. Problem eliminated. Don't have to worry about it now. I don't have email even set up on it. It's totally dedicated to the drone. Thank you for the information!

 

[John Gowland]

Oh mel.m please do not go to this video it will certainly end "with great disappointment". Just do not watch it.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Again I was accosted by teens talking to me just like talking to GA. No different. They were drunk as hell, what could I have done but bit my lip and continue to take video.

 

[Soledamcer]

Your DJI Drone could kill you or someone close to you.
Or at least do some serious damage to you or people near you!

Please send this serious warning to as many places as possible.
If you are flying with an Android device and initiate Google Assistant with “Ok Google” or “Hi Google” and you are flying your DJI drone with DJI go app your aircraft becomes totally out of control.
Take a look at this video.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I have been in constant contact with DJI, almost 20 emails for many weeks and they refuse to put out a general warning to DJI go app users not to engage Google Assistant.
Their response has been this.
“Kindly noted that I have updated the flightrecords as you provided back on MAR 21ST to the Field Application Engineering team…”
“As you mentioned, on your previous emails, it is unsafe for the people around. We appreciate your effort however to provide us with the needed records for our designated developers to review the flight and confirm your claimed issue with the DJI GO 4 app when used with the Google Assistant.”

DJI know there is a problem and a serious one. I know they are working very hard at solving the problem, but they are refusing to warn the public.

Please pass this warning to as many as you can.

Thanks for posting. I had no idea about this. Google assistant us very obtrusive to other apps. Flight mode every time in future.

 

[naiku]

why would you not use a google search via voice and flying? Absolutely nothing irresponsible about that.

I am curious now, what could you (or anyone) possibly need to search for while flying their drone?

I use Google Assistant fairly frequently, it can be very useful for many many things, but not one time have I ever felt the need to search for anything whatsoever while in the middle of flying my drone. Even if I suddenly had an idea of something I wanted to desperately video and wanted to look it up, I would still land first so that my concentration was not split between piloting and searching. Triggering Google Assistant causes it to appear on the screen, as well as the results of whatever is being searched for, I genuinely cannot think of a single instance where I would need to do such a thing.

 

[John Gowland]

I use it all of the time naiku and find it an awesome help in my daily life. On this occasion I could not see the S9+ screen clearly so I asked GA to increase the screen brightness to max because I could not see clearly which is why I always use Epson BT glasses. Does that explain your question?

 

[AMann]

OK, so I shouldn’t ask “Hey Google, are any TFR’s going to start here soon?” while flying.

 

[John Gowland]

That would be a very intelligent question to ask if you thought you were near on one

 

[Steve Murray]

70 k? I very much doubt it. Stop trying to panic the chickens.

 

[John Gowland]

Ha

 

[Dannyg64506]

Fun facts, getting hit straight in the forehead by the following objects:

Baseball maximum impact energy / sq cm is 3.9 Joules
Tennis ball maximum impact energy / sq cm is 3.1 Joules
Mavic in Sport Mode maximum impact energy / sq cm is 2.29 Joules

Maybe wearing a baseball helmet when flying will cut down the risk somewhat. I prefer the Braves.

I rarely post. Your post made me smile about impact energy. But I love riding my Harley. I was cruising down the highway, at 65 mph, when a sparrow decided he wanted to fly into me a give me a heart punch to the chest! That little birdie knocked the wind out of me! I had on leathers and all the paraphernalia us Harley riders wear.)) I had to stop and catch my breath for a few. Got to my hotel room that night, took a shower and had a bruise in the middle of chest.)) Teasing you a bit, how many Joules did the impact of the sparrow produce? Funny post! Oh, I prefer the K.C. Royals.))

 

[John Gowland]

Great post Dannyg64506 loved it. Post as often as you want.

 

[naiku]

Teasing you a bit, how many Joules did the impact of the sparrow produce?

Depends, was it a European or African swallow? Unladen or no?

 

[kidologist]

I dont know anyone who uses google assistant or siri during a flight to begin with. Not something a responsible person would allow to happen.

Um, yea. Who would engage Siri or Google Assistant while flying a drone? I would think some basic safety thinking is required of operators. I don't think it is DJI's job to "warn the public" about every dumb thing you can do while flying a drone that can hinder safe flying. Mavics are perfectly safe in the hands of safe operators.

 

[AMann]

They can injure people, so just use common sense and always fly safe.

Toddler's eyeball sliced in half by drone propeller

An 18-month-old boy loses an eye after it is sliced in half by the propeller of a drone flown by a family friend.

www.bbc.com

 

[Former Member]

Depends, was it a European or African swallow? Unladen or no?

Listen. In order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right?

 

[tleedom]

What has surprised me is that no one has initiated GA while flying with the Go 4 app.

No surprise here, I can't think of a single reason to ask Goggle Assistant anything while flying my $1500 aircraft.

 

[Former Member]

I rarely post. Your post made me smile about impact energy. But I love riding my Harley. I was cruising down the highway, at 65 mph, when a sparrow decided he wanted to fly into me a give me a heart punch to the chest! That little birdie knocked the wind out of me! I had on leathers and all the paraphernalia us Harley riders wear.)) I had to stop and catch my breath for a few. Got to my hotel room that night, took a shower and had a bruise in the middle of chest.)) Teasing you a bit, how many Joules did the impact of the sparrow produce? Funny post! Oh, I prefer the K.C. Royals.))

Funny story, but must have hurt! I've been hit by all kinds of things back when I had bikes. On my Road King, I kept the windscreen on for those exact reasons. On my Softail with no windscreen, it was my face vs the elements, and I have the pock marks to prove it. On my Goldwing, if a bug or bird was in the way, it would just splatter, and then we would wonder what it was.

 

[Kilrah]

ac0j, why would you not use a google search via voice and flying?

When you're flying you're supposed to be fully focused on the aircraft and your flight, not doing random web searches or messaging...
But yeah, a voice assistant has full control on your phone, and has the ability to override other apps. It's totally capable of having unexpected interactions.

Regarding the title... Yes, with current tech a drone can go uncontrollable at any time, voice assistant or not. That's a risk to live with, and mitigation against that is something to be prepared with. E.g when your phone starts telling your aircraft to do a weird mess, having the reflex of unplugging the USB cable that's right under your hand in a second can be a good thing to have thought of in advance.

 

[AMann]

Funny story, but must have hurt! I've been hit by all kinds of things back when I had bikes. On my Road King, I kept the windscreen on for those exact reasons. On my Softail with no windscreen, it was my face vs the elements, and I have the pock marks to prove it. On my Goldwing, if a bug or bird was in the way, it would just splatter, and then we would wonder what it was.

I got hit by a cloud of fast flying gnats while pedaling my fully loaded touring bicycle up a steep hill. I probably inhaled half of them and fell over coughing so badly. They almost killed me!