Drone manufacturer Skydio took the opportunity to announce a few things during CES 2022. The first is their launch of KeyFrame, a revolutionary new AI flight capability that allows users to construct and capture complicated camera movements.
They also announced the availability of Skydio 2+, an improvement to the previous drone model with hardware and software upgrades. Along with this is their offering of Skydio Care which is a newly improved protection plan that is currently available to all Skydio 2+ users.
Create cinematic shots with ease with Skydio
Even an experienced drone pilot can’t make dynamic, smooth, and creative images in complex locations since manual drones are difficult to fly, easy to crash, and ineffective in environments with strong GPS or compass interference. The KeyFrame makes it easy for anyone to create smooth, precise, and repeatable camera movements.
Drone and electronics reviewer Billy Kyle had the opportunity of trying out the Kyeframe for himself and shares that it has “By far, the most feature-rich and precise custom flight path system I have ever used on a drone.” The autonomous flight capability can be selected with a few clicks while Autonomy builds a smooth camera route between them. Playback is possible as many times as the user wishes at any pace they choose once they have established the KeyFrames.
Skydio CEO Adam Bry understands the need for professional camera work done in productions such as those done for Hollywood movies which may include a skilled drone pilot to create cinematic footage. With Keyframe, he sees that “a new generation of creators may benefit from this capacity.”
Hardware and protection plan improvements
In 2019, Skydio 2 ushered in a new era of autonomous flight. Along with it came Skydio autonomy which was a game-changer in terms of solo-creativity, travel and landscape videography, motorsports videography, and other extreme sports videography. With the introduction of the company’s 3D Scan, first-of-its-kind adaptive scanning software that automates the data capture process necessary to generate 3D models with comprehensive coverage and ultra-high resolution, the drone enabled enterprise customers to perform higher quality inspections faster and with minimal pilot training.
Now with Skydio 2+, this only improves on what its predecessor has and provides the most out of the product. The battery adds in a total of 20% more flight time, while its Beacon provides a more robust wireless connection and a longer range. While the drone will set you back by $1,099, that price also gives you two omnidirectional external antennae to increase the drone’s range from 3.5 kilometers to 6 kilometers.
Finally, the company offers a kind of insurance plan with optional protection plan that can be purchased for the Skydio 2+. For as little as $150, the protection plan provides comprehensive coverage and speedy replacement for unintentional damages from crashes, water damage, or unrecoverable landings, allowing the upgraded drone to be entirely replaced with no questions asked.
YouTube: Introducing Skydio 2+ with KeyFrame
Photo credit: The images used are owned by Skydio and have been provided for press usage.
Source: CES
