Skydio introduced the unusual Skydio R1 quadrocopter, equipped with 12 cameras for orientation in space and capable of creating a 3D map of the surrounding objects to avoid collision with obstacles.

As N + 1 writes, eight drone chambers are located along the perimeter of the apparatus frame, and two more chambers are directed up and down. Also, the drone is equipped with four gyrostabilizers and a main camera, which allows you to shoot 4K-video during the flight. To process data from cameras, Skydio R1 uses an NVIDIA Jetson TX 1 chip with a quad-core processor and 256-core video processor. Using a specially engineered algorithm for computer vision, the drone combines images from cameras and creates a three-dimensional map of the surrounding space. Thanks to this system, the drones can automatically follow the selected object (for example, the owner on a run) at a sufficiently high speed, skirting the obstacles.

The autonomous flight time of the drone is 16 minutes, and the maximum speed is 40 kilometers per hour. The package does not include a control panel - for this the owner of Skydio R1 can use his smartphone. At the same time, due to the peculiarities of the algorithms, the drone can not fly over the sea, because the system does not cope well with the recognition of highly changing surfaces.

It is expected that the company will begin shipping the drones in the coming weeks. The cost of a drone with two batteries in the kit will make an impressive $ 2500.