Getting into FPV racing has traditionally come with more barriers than everyday aerial photography. Off the shelf models are available, but they don’t come close to the DIY kits that require a bit more patience, know-how and effort to put together.
Three documents filed with the FCC suggest that DJI is about to step into the FPV market in a move that could genuinely take FPV racing into the mainstream.
Documents for a DJI FPV Air Unit, a DJI FPV Remote Controller and DJI FPV Goggles have all been published alongside basic design drawings, which means we may see an unveiling of a new drone from DJI this year.
What does it mean for the consumer drone industry?
Earlier this month, we discovered that Parrot is walking away from the toy drone market. One of the French manufacturer’s products included the Mambo, a small FPV drone that came with a VR headset.
It will be interesting to see whether DJI’s FPV drone caters to the toy gap vacated by Parrot, alongside the Tello drone, or whether the industry leader aims a little higher.
If DJI releases a drone with performance and capability as priorities rather than price, it could be a huge step toward making drone racing accessible. The exposure generated by new products from DJI alone will be enough to take to the hobby to an entirely new audience.
And there’s plenty of good reasons why DJI might do exactly that. The company has the engineering ability and financial muscle to develop a racing drone that’s easy to fly, accessible and competitive with anything else on the market.
And drone racing is growing in popularity. There are various leagues around the world and an increasing uptake in coverage from major media companies. DRL currently has US broadcast deals with Twitter and NBC, for example.
DJI already runs its own robotics events. Perhaps a DJI managed drone racing league is just around the corner, too?
Read more: DRONELIFE Exclusive: An Interview with a Drone Racing Champion
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
Email Malek
Twitter:@malekmurison
Subscribe to DroneLife here.
[…] DJI’s latest product release has flown in under the radar and caught us a little off guard. We reported last week that the Chinese manufacturer had filed documents outlining its FPV plans with the […]