{"id":1912,"date":"2022-03-21T14:42:58","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T14:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/03\/21\/djis-newest-drone-can-fly-in-heavy-rain-and-has-its-own-robotic-dock\/"},"modified":"2022-03-21T14:43:05","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T14:43:05","slug":"djis-newest-drone-can-fly-in-heavy-rain-and-has-its-own-robotic-dock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/03\/21\/djis-newest-drone-can-fly-in-heavy-rain-and-has-its-own-robotic-dock\/","title":{"rendered":"DJI\u2019s newest drone can fly in heavy rain \u2014 and has its own robotic dock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/3\/21\/22988649\/dji-m30-matrice-dock-drone-weather-cameras-specs<\/a>
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You wouldn\u2019t want to fly most drones in a serious downpour, even most industrial-grade ones from DJI. Until today, DJI\u2019s state-of-the-art was the M300 RTK, a drone that took a barrage of water in marketing videos<\/a> but where the fine print (PDF) says<\/a> that snow and heavy rain are not OK for flying. But DJI\u2019s weather sealing and confidence rating have improved \u2014 the new DJI M30 Enterprise, announced today, is explicitly ready for \u201cheavy rain, high winds, high altitudes, even in icy and snowy conditions from -20\u00b0 C to 50\u00b0 C,\u201d according to the company. <\/p>\n

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The M30 has an IP55 rating for dust and water protection, compared to the IP45 rating of the M300 RTK. That\u2019s not a higher water rating, technically.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: DJI<\/cite><\/p>\n

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The M30 is also more portable than practically any of the company\u2019s other industrial drones \u2014 small enough to fit into a large backpack or small rolling case \u2014 and with self-locking arms that snap into place and can be folded with the push of a button instead of having to screw and unscrew each one like on previous Matrice models. While the 8.2-pound drone still has the tubular arms common to industrial UAVs, the design\u2019s a lot closer to the Mavic that helped DJI dominate the foldable drone category.<\/p>\n

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Folded. <\/em><\/figcaption>Image :DJI<\/cite><\/p>\n

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The maximum 41-minute flight time means the M30 doesn\u2019t have quite the endurance of DJI\u2019s longest-lasting drones, but DJI\u2019s taking advantage of its size in another way \u2014 it\u2019s finally revealed its own robotic drone-in-a-box solution for completely autonomous missions, one small enough to work on the back of a pickup truck. <\/p>\n

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Docking station.<\/em><\/figcaption>GIF by Sean Hollister \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n

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The DJI Dock has its own built-in weather station, surveillance cameras, antennas, 25-minute automatic fast battery charging, and can support drone mission up to 7 kilometers away, though do note the fine print there:<\/p>\n

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The DJI Dock must be used in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and its advanced functions cannot yet be used in jurisdictions where a human pilot must stay within the drone\u2019s line of sight or maintain physical control of the drone by holding a controller.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One of those \u201cjurisdictions\u201d is the USA, though the FAA has been taking baby steps<\/a> towards letting automated drone-in-a-box missions proceed on a case-by-case or company-by-company basis. Most prominently, American Robotics got greenlit for some that have minimal human involvement last January<\/a>.<\/p>\n