Business Insider predicts that the drone market will reach $63.6 billion in 2025. Technology was once only available to the government, and science fiction is now readily available on commercial markets. Flying a drone could one day be as ordinary as playing golf.
Drones are a rising trend that allows motorcyclists to be creative. With recent innovations such as ‘follow me’ technology or intelligent obstacle avoidance, it is easier and safer for you to record your adventures right while you are riding. This article will discuss the best drones for motorcyclists and tips for recording your motorcycle ride.
What Are The Important Safety and Setup Tips?
These drones are great because they have ‘follow me technology’, which allows them to fly without pilot control. However, if something unexpected occurs and you need to retrieve your drone manually, don’t drive your drone. Before you use your drone to record your flight, take the time to improve your flying skills. Drones can be expensive, and you don’t want to risk a thousand dollars by being irresponsible.
It’s a good idea to bring your phone and controller with you when flying a drone. Using Velcro or other temporary fastening tools, you can attach your controller to your tank bag. To connect your phone to the handlebar, you can use the amount for your phone. You won’t need to carry your phone around in a bag each time you control the drone.
What are the best drones for motorcycles?
DJI Air 2s
Specifications
- Video Quality: 40K 60FBS
- Battery Life Time: 31 minutes
- Distance to the Connection: Maximum 12 km
- Follow me: Yes
PROS
- Camera 4K60
- Very compact
- Great Controller
- Distances up to 10km
- 34 min battery
- Excellent tracking
CONS
- None
The DJI Air 2s drone is the most recent on the market. It features a 1-inch sensor, the best obstacle avoidance technology, and sensors. It’s foldable so that it can be easily transported on a bike.
A sound auto-follow system is essential for motorcyclists. The Active Track 4.0 DJI Air 2’s is one of the most popular markets, and it’s also equipped with APAS 4.0, which can avoid obstacles even when flying backward.
The 12km range is remarkable and provides you with plenty of signal and room even under challenging circumstances.
DJI Mini 2
Specifications
- Video Quality: 40K 30FBS
- Battery Life Time: 31 minutes
- Connectivity Distances up to 10 km
- Follow me: No
PROS
- 4k stable camera
- Register not required for less than 250g
- 31 min battery
- Super small
- Can withstand strong winds
- Perfect photos
CONS
- No tracking
Although the DJI Mini 2 is a cheaper alternative to the DJI Mavic Air, it still packs a powerful punch. The DJI Mini 2 drone camera is among the most developed market, and it has a 4k resolution display and stabilizing features. The DJI Mini 2 is compact and lightweight at 250g, perfect for travel.
The Active Track feature is not available on the DJI Mini 2, which unfortunately comes at a high price. The DJI Mini 2’s Quick Shot function allows you to mimic follow-me technology. You must be at a complete stop to do this. Next, open the DJI Go app and select any Quick Shot type. The drone will recognize you and then press record. Wait a few seconds before the drone begins to move. You’ll be able to get beyond the camera’s detection range and force it to follow you.
Skydio 2
Specifications
- Video Quality: 40K 60FBS
- Battery Life Time: 23 minutes
- Distance to the Connection – Up To 3.5 Km
- Follow me: Yes
PROS
- Camera 4K60
- Crash-proof
- Improved follow-me mode
- Controlled by body signals
- GPS locator
CONS
- Slow startup
- Not foldable
American-made Skydio 2 is an American adventure drone that uses obstacle avoidance technology. It’s crash-proof, thanks to collision avoidance sensors at all ends. Skydio 2’s intelligent self-operating features are available to anyone, even motorcyclists who need to drive in challenging environments.
Skydio 2 weighs more than the DJI models due to its many quality features. The camera is 4K/60fps and comes with an additional 3-axis gimbal that can stabilize the camera even for the most challenging turns. It doesn’t record audio like most drones, and however, the App allows you to do so. If you wish to make your video more immersive, this is a feature that you can use.
Ten years ago, to capture a bird’s-eye view of an excursion from the air, you had to hire a helicopter. You can now get top-quality cinematography at an affordable price with drones such as the DJI Mavic Air 2, DJI Mini 2, or Skydio 2.
What is Follow Me GPS Drone Technology, and how does it work?
Follow Me is an intelligent mode that turns your drone into an aerial camera crew. There are two types of Follow Me technology currently in use. The GSC with Follow Me GPS transmitter technology and the most recent using recognition software like DJI ActiveTrack are the two types of Follow Me technology.
Drones that Follow You using GPS Transmitter/GSC
Many follow-me mode drones are equipped with a GPS-enabled device, such as a tablet, mobile phone, or GSC (Ground Station Controller), and a transmitter (wearable transmitter) or mobile phone. The drone will follow the transmitter and keep the subject in the photo at all times.
The following technology can track the drone. It connects to a GPS-equipped smartphone via a virtual tether. Follow me UAVs can be either stationary or moving with the subject.
Further down, you will see the drones that track you. The drone follows you by monitoring your AirLeash, a GPS device, and the AirDog will follow you, take off and land autonomously.
There are many ways that the Skydio 2 drone can fly. The Skydio 2 beacon can be carried by the drone, tracking it. The Skydio 2 is highly advanced and uses an intelligent vision system to follow you and avoid obstacles.
Others drones, such as the Holy Stone HS700 Ophelia drone and Holy Stone HS270 drone, have basic follow-me mode. They use the GSC transmitter, and the drone follows the transmitter and keeps the subject in the frame at all times.
A drone that Follows You using Recognition Technology
UAVs can recognize and follow people and objects using sensors and recognition technology. Deep learning technology is used to track moving subjects without needing a separate GPS tracker.
The above list shows that DJI is the most prominent manufacturer of drones with follow-you technology.
ActiveTrack is the DJI quadcopters’ software. It is part of the DJI Pilot Go 4 app and Assistant software for Phantom 4 and Mavic quadcopters. ActiveTrack 2.0 can recognize 16 objects on the Mavic 2 quadcopter’s screen. The DJI Go 4 app allows you to choose which thing or person you want to follow.
Drone Follow Me Software
The software to program Follows Me can be found in the drone app. DJI has their GO4 App, and their SOLO App was used on the older 3DR drones that are no longer made. The Arducopter drone uses Mission Planner software.
Walkera is one of the other manufacturers that integrate the follow me mode software into their Ground Station Controller (GSC). You can program what you want to track or follow with just a few clicks.
This software uses complex algorithms and calculations to keep the object visible at all times. You can program your gimbal and camera using preset flight distances and heights, giving you unique cinematic perspectives.
Follow me Distance
Different UAV manufacturers use other follow-me technology. As you learn about your drone, it is best to keep distances short at the beginning. The transmitter and GSC could become disconnected if they are too far apart.
DJI drones, such as the Phantom 4, can be followed at 30 meters (98.4ft) and 20 meters (66.5ft). DJI drones are capable of following you from a greater distance.
What speed can these drones go?
Nothing is more thrilling than seeing you running, biking, maneuvering a boat, or taking a 4×4 ride. Without a stable drone that can hover and follow you, this would not be possible. These drones are available in recent releases. Some drones, such as the DJI Mavic series, have modes like trace or spotlight. This allows the drone to track the subject at a constant distance and keep its camera pointed at it during flight.
Also, it is essential to note that flight speeds can vary between sports mode, ascent, and descent. The DJI Mavic Air offers the fastest sport mode at 68.4km/h while maintaining a close distance to sea level without wind. The remote control must operate the four m/s climb, and three m/s descend speed. This speed is excellent for tracking subjects in many sports, including kite surfing and over water.
Skydio 2 is close behind at 2nd with a speed of 58 km/h and a ceiling service maximum of 15,000 feet, which gives you a larger view of the shot.
The DJI Mavic Mini is smaller than the Mavic Pro, but it can still reach 46 km/h. It can climb at 13.12 feet per second and descend at 9.84.
These drones can return home if they lose signal or battery power.
You should be aware of external factors that could put you in danger as a drone owner. It is essential to pick something that can withstand the wind, as operating this device depends heavily on weather conditions.
Even if your drone is capable of surviving harsh weather conditions, losing your drone when it runs out of batteries can be a nightmare. Do you know how to avoid this?
There is. DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mavic Air can make a return in the event of low battery or loss of signal. When we say return, it means that they go to the exact location you’ve set. They can land within a maximum distance of 2 m from where they were launched.
Can these drones avoid obstacles?
Drones have made it a common sight to see small, modern aircraft hovering high above the ground. It is estimated that there will be approximately 7 million drones in the US, mainly due to hobby flying.
Flying drones for recreational purposes is not prohibited. It is not rocket science to understand that drones can be dangerous and could be used to access private and public spaces, domains, or properties.
One lost drone can endanger the lives of birds and may interfere with planes’ trajectory, so it is severe. This isn’t the end for drone technology, however. We still enjoy the many benefits of this fantastic invention. These benefits can last for many years, so adhering to a few universal regulations is not necessary.
It is generally prohibited to fly drones in public areas or over moving vehicles, especially on highways. You will need a permit to fly in public spaces in most countries.
Europe and USA have stricter regulations, particularly in “no-fly zones” areas. However, drones can fly above stationary vehicles or covered structures that hover above people. You may be asking, “Why above a person?” They imagine the drone could save their lives, mainly if it can protect them from falling debris or other untoward circumstances.
Are you required to use a controller?
There are still drones that require a controller, and recent innovations have made it possible to operate without a controller. We’ll discuss which drones suit your needs, depending on whether you prefer to use a controller.
The DJI Mavic Air Mini and DJI Mavic Air come with a foldable, detachable remote control, making them easier to transport. It must be changed manually and linked to the drone. Skydio 2 is a more autonomous and self-operating drone. The Skydio R1’s predecessor has the Skydio R1, which allows you to control it either with or without a remote. To test its self-control and verify its legitimacy, you can crash it against a solid object to see if it responds. The multi-angled sensors detect any hindrances and allow you to be surprised at how the device manages to fly off.
If you wish to try Skydio 2’s self-operating features, you can walk. You’d be amazed at how loyal it is to you. You can direct Skydio 2 using its 3-axis motion sensors by simply moving your hands. You can also use the selfie-engagement mode to take a selfie. Connect your phone and switch to this model. If you were running too fast and it almost lost track of your phone, don’t worry; the built-in GPS locators can help you find it.
Conclusion
The privilege of buying a drone is the knowledge that you have made an intelligent decision and will be able to capture unique shots for a lifetime. If you were one of those meticulous but not sure about buying a drone, this article would help you see that there is one less thing.
A drone can be the perfect companion for you, whether you are a traveler or just an adventure seeker with two wheels. It will capture your adventures and preserve them forever. The question is: Which drone would you choose? You will be the one to decide.
