DJI reveals plans to assemble drones in California to assuage US security concern

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 13:45:48 +0000

When it comes to consumer drones, Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology is unarguably the world’s largest producer. The company’s customer base extends beyond China to the US, Europe and several other countries. In the US, DJI drones are deployed by not just the consumers but by the government agencies such as the police and military. However, the company is presently in the spotlight as US lawmakers reignite Trump’s and the US government’s rhetorics about Chinese companies posing a security risk to the US. The lawmakers and security researchers, during a public hearing, opined that America’s reliance on DJI, with up to 80% market share, poses a security risk.

Before the discussion about security gathers steam and becomes another Huawei/US imbroglio, DJI is taking proactive measures to reassure the US authority and end users that its drones are no security risk just because they are manufactured in China. The drone maker plans to commence assembling drones in one of its warehouses in California. The company says it will assemble its Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual drones in Cerritos, California after the US Customs and Border Protection determines that the US-produced value of its drones will qualify under the US Trade Agreements Act. That designation should make it easier for some US government agencies to buy the drones, the company said.

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The California plant will be DJI’s first assembly line located outside of Shenzhen, China, the company said in a statement on Monday. The company also disclosed that it carried out assembly tests at the plant in January, and it showed “positive results”. The plant is currently pending approval from relevant US departments.

DJI’s announcement to assemble drones in the US comes on the heels of the company sending an open letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, in which it rebutted security concerns that its products have security risks to the country.

“DJI drones do not share flight logs, photos or videos unless the drone pilot deliberately chooses to do so. They do not automatically send flight data to China or anywhere else. They do not automatically transmit photos or videos over the internet. This data stays solely on the drone and on the pilot’s mobile device. DJI cannot share customer data it never receives,” the company said in the open letter.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Emphasizing that DJI customers have full control of their data, the Chinese company also said its products help American businesses and government agencies create values for the US economy and has helped the US enter the drone age safely.

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(source)

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DJI unveils Mavic Pro Drone Featuring Ultra Compact Body & Powerful Features

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 08:34:07 +0000

Top Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has unveiled its latest Mavic Pro drone which comes in as the company’s first foldable drone which can be folded down to the size of a water-bottle, giving it a very compact body built. The new drone comes in as the smallest in DJI’s line-up of drone and is also said to feature the new DJI Goggles which gives a bird’s eye view of the flight.

The DJI Mavic Pro enters the market battle ready to take on GoPro’s Karma, coming in as the company’s smartest drone so far and tagging along some cool obstacle avoidance and auto tracking features which are both absent on the GoPro Karma. What this means is that users don’t need to put a tracking device on the object they want the drone to follow rather all they need do is select the target on a smartphone and that’s all.

The Mavic Pro comes weighing just 1.64 pounds but the dimensions are not specified even though it is touted as being able to be folded up to a water-bottle’s size which makes it possible to fit into the pocket. The Mavic Pro also includes a foldable controller which allows a smartphone to slide into it and give users both touchscreen and joystick control options.

DJI already has a reputation for its advanced flight options but the Mavic Pro takes things a notch higher, sporting an updated FlightAutonomy system. DJI calls the system a complex network which simplifies the navigation process. There are five built-in navigation cameras, GPS, ultrasonic range finders, multiple sensors and 24 computing cores. These all aid the drone to be capable of achieving several advanced flight modes. DJI also touts the Mavic pro of being capable of avoiding most obstacles even at speeds of up to 22mph The drone is however capable of hitting speeds of up to 40 mph in sport mode.

The DJI Mavic Pro also comes with features which are on earlier quadcopters such as autofollow, crash avoidance, and flight modes. In addition to those, the Mavic Pro has been made capable of achieving precise landing within one inch of its original take off spot with just a simple tap on the return home command. even when racing uphill, you don’t have to be scared of crashing because there is a new mode which keeps the drone at the same distance from the incline as it flies. Gesture control, selfie featres are also part of the new inclusions on the Mavic pro.

On the camera angle, the Mavic Pro is equipped with both a 4K capable built-in camera and a three-axis gimbals which stabilizes the camera. The gimbals are DJI’s smallest till date and is reputed to be able to steady the camera enough to shoot aerial long exposures up to two seconds long. The camera has a 12MP sensor and it shoots in both RAW and JPEG and there are options of using 4K in 30fps, or 1080 pixels at 96 fps.The Mavic Pro was launched along with a new drone camera which gives users live view of what is happening mid-flight. Christened DJI Google, the camera has a display of 85 degrees in 1080p HD and also the Google receives the signal straight from the drone which helps prevent lag time in the footage.The DJI Mavic Pro comes with a price tag of $999, higher than the GoPro Karma but then the more sophisticated features it packs seem to justify the price tag. On top of that, DJI has introduced a new $99 optional DJI Care Refresh option which covers accidental damage for a year. The DJI Mavic Pro is expected to start shipping on October 15.

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DJI reveals plans to assemble drones in California to assuage US security concern

UP NEXT: Futurewei goes rogue on Huawei in the US; seeks to create a new identity

DJI unveils Mavic Pro Drone Featuring Ultra Compact Body & Powerful Features