Autonomous drone maker Skydio announces its X2 drone for the military and business markets

Skydio, a startup that makes autonomous drones that fly with little human intervention, enters the commercial drone market with its new X2 model. The X2 is Skydio’s first non-consumer device and is marketed to government agencies, the military, and other organizations that require aerial surveying or surveying, and comes with a built-in infrared thermal camera. The X2 announcement coincides with Skydio’s new $ 100 million funding round, led by German firm Next47 from German multinational Siemens.

Skydio first entered the market a little over two years ago with the Skydio R1. The R1 was a self-contained drone sporting impressive obstacle avoidance powered by artificial intelligence and other sensors and software features that allowed it to fly smoothly through complex outdoor environments like forested trails while still subject.

The R1, however, was quite expensive at $ 2,500, and apps for Skydio’s first drone were still limited to recording extreme sports like mountain biking and other more informal activities. The idea was that inexperienced drone pilots or even total amateurs could buy a flying camera that could follow you and automatically film your activities without hitting trees.

The company, made up of MIT drone experts and alumni of Google’s Wing drone delivery unit, continued to improve the software and add new features until it released its Skydio 2 track last year. The second iteration was much cheaper at $ 999 and greatly improved the drone’s design and capabilities. But it still suffered from lackluster manual controls courtesy of a renowned Parrot Anafi controller which, while an improvement over the smartphone app used by the R1, was sometimes faulty and unreliable. That meant that the Skydio 2 couldn’t match the precision and control of flying and recording a DJI drone.

The X2 is supposed to change all that, with the unfortunate downside to consumers that it’s not really for them. The X2 has folding arms, the first time for Skydio after the company said it has struggled in the past to make its AI powered autonomous flight capabilities work with drones that can be folded into a smaller package to DJI’s Mavic Pro. . (Skydio previously said the limitation was because their software needed to have their navigation cameras precisely positioned with each other and with the rest of the drone.)

This X2 also has a night flight with GPS, visible light, and IR illuminators for flying in the dark, and a complete business-grade controller with a built-in touch screen. Battery life is longer with 35 minutes of flight time compared to 23 minutes for the Skydio 2, and features the aforementioned 320 x 256 resolution thermal camera in addition to its 12MP main camera.

Photo: Skydio

There are also some new software features that come with the X2: a 360-degree “superzoom” for up to 100x zoom in all directions and a new precision mode that allows pilots to fly the X2 in tighter environments Without fear that autonomous features such as avoidance obstacles could interfere with manual controls.

Skydio will bring a 3D scanning feature to Skydio 2 and X2 later this year, designed for “inspections of complex industrial locations and structures, such as bridges, building facades, energy infrastructure, accident and crime scenes.” There will also be a home scan feature for insurance agents to automatically inspect homes:

Skydio will release two versions of the X2 later this year. One is called X2D and is explicitly designed for the US Army, Skydio refers to it as “the ultimate solution for defense and reconnaissance, search and rescue, and security patrol missions for the military and defense.” The other is the X2E, which according to Skydio is “optimized for business, first responders and civil agencies.” Prices are also not announced, as it seems likely that these devices will be sold as part of larger contracts or under the terms of specific agreements exclusive to the companies or agencies involved.

The company’s transition from the manufacturer of “selfie drones” to a potential contractor for the US military is somewhat understandable given the lack of everyday consumer interest in cutting-edge drone technology. But Skydio is positioning this move as a way to consolidate a U.S. drone manufacturer as a leading government supplier and competitor to China-based DJI, which has supplied drones to the U.S. government in the past before that Chinese espionage concerns and cyber attacks led some agencies to land their fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Skydio CEO Adam Bry told us last month that he will open an additional manufacturing facility in the US this summer to help meet demand, after previously relying entirely on a small assembly line near his offices in Mountain View, CA.

“Manual drones lack the software intelligence that companies need to scale their programs,” Bry said in a statement. “Skydio’s goal is to unlock the value of drones by creating a radically simple user experience through the power of true autonomy. With Skydio 2 (S2) we have shown that our autonomy software can fundamentally change the way people use drones, and that an American company can not only compete, but can lead the way in drone technology with intelligence technology. artificial. Now we are bringing the power of autonomy to businesses, government agencies, first responders and defense clients. “