DJI, a Chinese drone manufacturer, unveiled its latest drone at a media event in New York on Wednesday – the Spark. It’s the company’s smallest drone that can also be flown using only hand gestures, which means you don’t have to learn the technicalities of flying if you don’t want to.
The DJI Spark is reportedly priced at $499 for the basic package and is now available for pre-order. A bundle that includes a second battery, a remote and a bag, among other things, is also available for $699. Shipments are expected to arrive on June 15, 2017.
A new way of flying drones
Using only hand gestures is certainly a new way of flying these amazing toys. Conventional drones use remote controls and a smartphone for visuals. The remote has joysticks that mimic a video game to tell the drone where to go. However, for the Spark, you can wave your hands to land the drone or other gestures to make it fly higher.
In the video below, a woman is seen moving her hand from left to right to make the drone fly in those directions.
As for the price, the Spark is relatively cheaper than most drones. The DJI Mavic, the company’s best-selling drone, sells for $999.
The Spark can only fly so high
The mini-drone can only fly up to 10 feet. It’s not designed to travel as high as other drones in the market; instead, the Spark is ideal for taking pictures of group shots from above.
The camera can shoot up to 1080p HD videos and 12-mega-pixel photos. The drone only weighs as much as a can of soda, the company says.
The Spark can travel up to 100 yards away. However, that distance can reach 1.24 miles if you use the remote, which comes with a bundle that costs $699.
As for the battery life, DJI claims the drone can last up to 16 minutes on a single charge.
An iOS app for the Spark
DJI is also releasing an iOS app for the mini drone called GO 4. The app features a set of automated flight modes that allows you to pull off certain flight maneuvers.
The app has the ActiveTrack which allows the drone to focus on any moving objects; ShallowFocus is used for field shots; Pano is an automated stitching tool that captures panoramas; and TapFly, that can hover and tracks a certain target.
DJI’s purpose is to show that anyone can fly their drones without needing to master any flight operations. And with the Spark’s small size, the company expects their toy to be compact enough that it can be carried around inside a backpack or a purse.
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