DJI’s Dominance in Drone Technology: From Phantom 1 to Mavic Pro

Drone technology is constantly evolving, and new innovations and significant investments bring more advanced models to market every few months.

Unmanned aerial vehicle technology covers it all; From the aerodynamics of the drone and the materials used in its manufacture, to the circuit boards, chips and software that represent the brains of this type of aircraft.

According to the Prospective Industry Research Institute, the Chinese DJI company’s products account for more than 80% of the global market share, and more than 70% in China, ranking first among global commercial drone companies in 2020.

Observers attribute DJI’s dominance to the continuous work in the field of development and innovation and the provision of its drones with the latest technology available in this field, such as infrared cameras, global positioning system (GPS) and lasers.

“Phantom 1” and the beginning of domination

The company initially started selling drones and controllers, and by 2013 the company launched the DJI Phantom 1 drone, its first consumer product.

This plane marked the beginning of the spread of drones around the world, as the company provided it with a global positioning system, but charging the battery took 90 minutes, and it could fly for only 10 minutes. And besides, she was without a camera or her stand.

Users had to mount a GoPro or other lightweight camera to be able to record aerial footage, but the mounted camera suffered from vibration during flight.

Before GPS technology was integrated into drones, users had no means or method of determining the direction or location of aircraft in the air, which made controlling and maneuvering the aircraft very difficult, and this issue significantly hindered the overall user experience.

And by integrating the global positioning system and the compass, it is possible for the drones to stay in place even if the user leaves the remote control. This gave operators complete control of the aircraft and made the technology safer and easier to fly.

The internal integration of the GPS made DJI’s drones safer and more reliable in flight than any other drone available at the time.

“Phantom Vision 2″… the first march with a camera

The company has worked to continuously improve each new aircraft it releases, innovating key technologies and updating specifications, including range, flight time and camera quality. Phantom Vision 2 comes with a built-in camera capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 frames per second.

The Phantom Vision 2 featured an extended flight time of up to 20 minutes and a range of up to 300 metres. This was the first drone released by DJI to include a built-in camera that could capture 14-megapixel still images.

The company continued to develop, and within two months of the release of “Phantom Vision 2”, the company released “Phantom 2”, which provided it with a “GoPro” camera and a stabilization system. This time the company also fixed some of the issues of the previous version, as DJI increased the range and battery life so that users could keep the planes in the air longer and fly longer.

This allowed the aircraft to fly 25 minutes with a range of up to 300 metres, with the inclusion of the NAZA-M v2 integrated flight control system, a 2.4 GHz remote control system with a separate channel and a Zinmez H3-2D axis control port. “.

This was important because operators no longer needed to bring the aircraft down in order to replace the battery as is often the case, which previously significantly hindered the overall flying experience.

Released in 2014, Phantom Vision 2 brought the first stable 3-axis stabilization system found in a DJI drone, and helped achieve smooth, shake-free footage.

Prior to that, users had to either buy a camera and a stabilization system, or fly with a camera that could only tilt up or down with footage still subject to shake.

Phantom Vision 2’s advanced 3-axis stabilization system ensures footage is smooth and stable in the air, giving pilots more freedom to shoot dynamic and creative shots.

The aircraft also came with a 14-megapixel camera, 25 minutes of flight time, a range of approximately 700 metres, and an advanced GPS.

3 versions of “Phantom 3”

DJI continued development in 2015 with the launch of the Phantom 3 series in 3 different versions: Basic, Advanced and Professional.

The basic version includes a redesigned integrated camera capable of shooting 2.7K videos at 30 frames per second, as well as capturing 12 MP still photos in JPG and RAW formats at a range of 1 km and 20 km. minutes of flying time.

The advanced version featured an extended range of 2km, 23 minutes of flight time and the first 12MP 4K camera released by DJI.

A notable improvement in both the basic and advanced versions was the integration of the Russian version of the global positioning system “GLONASS” (GLONASS), in addition to global positioning systems.

This allowed the aircraft to connect to more satellites to improve stability and position accuracy in flight, making the aircraft easier and safer to drive in the air than its predecessors.

DJI provided the advanced and professional version of the “Phantom 3” with a built-in “Lightbridge” transmission system that provides a longer range and an HD video transmission capacity of up to one kilometer, and this system has proven to be much better than the wireless network system found in the basic version of the Phantom 3.

This was important because drone users can monitor and enhance high-quality aerial photos and videos from their smartphones. Prior to Lightbridge technology, users had no way to view footage recorded at long distances by an aircraft camera, which hindered widespread use in both the recreational and commercial sectors, particularly in the world of aerial photography and videography.

With the invention of the Lightbridge, aircraft owners can now view live images captured by their aircraft in high quality directly from their smartphones, allowing users to monitor aerial photos and videos.

It also provided it with an optical positioning system, which provides more stability, stability and accuracy during aerial photography. To promote the Phantom 3 series, DJI also launched the DJI Go app, which allowed users to access the aircraft’s camera settings and flight controls, while automatically alerting the user if any problems were detected with the aircraft. .

The application features a simplified and easy-to-use interface, making drone technology more understandable and easier to use for a wider audience.

“Phantom 4″… a summary of experiences

And with the launch of “Phantom 4” by 2016, the company continued to show its ability to develop drones, as it was provided with a completely redesigned installation axis, as it supports the aircraft’s camera on both sides instead of one, and it was made of magnesium alloy material developed for more Stability and strength.

The Phantom 4 was the first consumer drone to feature innovative computer vision and sensor technology that made it the safest and most intelligent drone.

The Phantom 4 featured the first front and bottom obstacle avoidance system of its kind, which enabled it to intelligently detect objects in its path and automatically stop or move around the object to avoid potential collisions. It also led the way to more intelligent flight modes that took advantage of the obstacle avoidance system.

In Phantom 4, the company introduced a compass and dual IMU units to provide faster reaction time.

In addition, the Phantom 4 features a full 3-axis stabilization system with a 12MP 4K camera, a range of 5km and a flight time of 27 minutes.

And with all its new and improved features, as well as new smart flight modes – including active trajectory and “click to fly” – the Phantom 4 has become the most popular drone in the industry.

The following year, the company introduced the advanced and professional version of “Phantom 4”. Both aircraft have a range of up to 7km thanks to the LightBridge 2 system, 30 minutes of battery life, and an upgraded 4K 20MP camera with a 1-inch sensor.

The Pro version also featured a fully upgraded 360-degree obstacle avoidance system to give users more safety and peace of mind in mid-air.

“Mavic Pro” and entering a new phase

With the arrival of the Mavic Pro for the first time in 2016, a new transmission system called OxySync appeared, which allowed the ability to transmit 1080p video at 30 frames per second, while the Lightbridge 2 could transmit video at 720p.

OxySync also allowed two devices to be wirelessly linked to a single drone, including regular remote controls or DJI goggles.

With the launch of the Mavic Air in 2018, the company went a step further by providing 8 GB of internal storage, and the aircraft featured an all-new Intelligent Flight System for highly stable and accurate flights, as well as an improved front, bottom and rear obstacle avoidance system for added safety. Up in the air.

Each series of drones included vital new technologies that made drones better and safer. And the company has continued to improve range, camera, quality, battery life, and flight performance with each product.

The company designed the Aeroscope. It is a device capable of detecting most modern drones, in order to eliminate doubts about the security risks posed by drones when they fly over sensitive areas, such as prisons, airports, and other protected facilities.

The aeroscope intercepts communication between the controller and the aircraft to extract the flight path, status, serial number, controller location, owner contacts and any other information that the user can act upon. It transmits the information in real time, and information collection takes seconds.

This gives those responsible for monitoring enough time to intercept any attacks. The aeroscope has a range of up to 40 km, and there is also a portable option.

Develop marching systems and platforms

The company is not only engaged in manufacturing and developing drones, but DJI also manufactures other technologies that serve it in its field, such as flight platforms and systems, the A3 and A3 Pro flight controller and the Ronin 4D platform.

For better flying of drones, DJI has also created FBV goggles that transmit drone footage to the user in real time.

Instead of watching it via a smartphone or remote, the user wears the glasses to watch, just like virtual reality glasses.

Most DJI drones include a built-in gimbal, but Zenmiz cameras that have built-in tripods can also be purchased, such as the Zinmiz X7 camera and stabilizer, which has a 24-megapixel resolution and interchangeable lenses of 5.2K and 6K.

As a result of its continuous work, over the years the company has released drones tailored to meet the needs of everyone from professionals to consumers, as it is the most popular brand of drones today, and it has a dominant role in the global market for drones, as it is one of the most influential Chinese companies globally and is represented technology industry in China.