Drone maker DJI announces the Phantom 4-- a first "consumer quadcopter camera" from the camera featuring an "Obstacle Sensing System" providing an even easier flying experience.
The obstacle sensing system involves a combination of two front-facing cameras and software allowing the drone to, well, spot and avoid objects. Thus the Phantom 4 can either automatically fly around obstacles or slow down to a hover if it cannot work out an alternative route.
Obstacle avoidance also kicks when users trigger the "Return to Home" function, reducing collision risks when the drone automatically flies back to a take off point. Meanwhile a TapFly function provides an easy means to pilot the drone to a specific destination through simple taps on the companion DJI go app.
The drone also offers improvement on the camera and app front-- an ActiveTrack app feature users to keep the camera centered on subjects while the drone is moving through a tap, providing what DJI promises to be "perfectly-framed shots" of moving subjects.
Further Phantom 4 refinements come in the camera (with improved optics promising better sharpness and reduced chromatic aberration), battery life (extended to 28 minutes) and overall industrial design.
Interestingly, DJI has also managed to find a a big name sales partner-- the Phantom 4 is initially available through Apple Stores across the world, as well as the DJI flagship store in Shenzhen, from March 2016.