Skydio 2
American camera drone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Skydio 2 is an American teleoperated compact quadcopter drone produced by Skydio. Released in October 2019, the Skydio 2 competed with Chinese drones such as the DJI Mavic until Skydio pulled out of the consumer market in 2023. However, it continues to be produced for enterprise customers.
| Skydio 2 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Camera drone |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Skydio AeroArc |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2019–present |
| Introduction date | October 2019 |
| Developed into | Skydio X2 |
Design and development
The Skydio 2 was released in October 2019 with a much lower price than its predecessor, the Skydio R1.[1][2] Compared to the R1, the Skydio 2 has a smaller form factor, though it does not fold like some competing models, and an improved obstacle avoidance system with six 4K navigation cameras instead of 12.[3][4] The drone is fully autonomous, though it can be controlled manually with either the Skydio app or an optional beacon or remote controller, respectively having a range of 200 m (660 ft), 1.5 km (0.93 mi), and 3.5 km (2.2 mi).[2][5] The drone also has a gimbal stabilized main camera capable of 4K video at 60 frames per second and is powered by a 4280 mAh battery, giving it a flight time of 23 minutes.[2][6][7] The Skydio 2 is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 embedded computing board, allowing the drone to track up to 10 objects while flying at 36 mph (58 km/h).[7][8]
Reviewers in PCMag praised the obstacle avoidance feature, but criticized the camera quality and wireless range.[9] DIYPhotography noted that the Skydio 2's top speed and range fell short of the competing DJI Mavic 2.[10]
In January 2022, Skydio announced an improved version of the drone as the Skydio 2+.[11] The Skydio 2+ addressed the range issues of its predecessor by adding two 5GHz WiFi antennas on top of the front arms, increasing the range to 3 km (1.9 mi) with a beacon or 6 km (3.7 mi) with a controller.[12][13] Likewise, battery capacity was increased by 20%, resulting in an increased flight time of 27 minutes.[13][14]
In August 2023, Skydio pulled out of the consumer drone business to focus on providing drones for enterprise customers, including the Skydio 2+ and Skydio X2.[15][16] Flying called the decision "unexpected", though also noting that the company was reportedly losing money with each consumer sale.[17]
Variants
- Skydio 2
- Original variant with gimbal stabilized 4K main camera, six 4K navigation cameras, an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 embedded computing board, a maximum wireless range of 3.5 km (2.2 mi), and powered by a 4280 mAh giving it a flight time of 23 minutes.[2][3][4][7] Released in October 2019.[1]
- Skydio 2+
- Improved Skydio 2 with two 5GHz WiFi antennas and battery capacity increased by 20%, increasing wireless range and flight time to 6 km (3.7 mi) and 27 minutes, respectively.[12][13][14] Released in January 2022.[11]
- Trinetra S
- Variant produced in India by AeroArc.[18]
Operators
- Chula Vista Police Department became the first law enforcement operator of the Skydio 2 in December 2019.[19]
Specifications (Skydio 2+)
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Data from Skydio 2/2+ Operator Manual[20]
General characteristics
- Length: 8.8 in (0.223 m)
- Width: 10.7 in (0.273 m)
- Height: 2.9 in (0.074 m) with battery
- Empty weight: 2 lb (0.775 kg) with battery
Performance
- Maximum speed: 36 mph (58 km/h, 31 kn)
- Range: 3.7 mi (6.0 km, 3.2 nmi) with controller
- Endurance: 27 minutes
- Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m) above sea level
- Maximum wind resistance: 25 mph (40 km/h)
- Operating temperature: 23–104 °F (−5–40 °C)
Avionics
- Cameras:
- NVIDIA Tegra X2 main processor
- NVIDIA Denver 2 64-bit CPU
- NVIDIA Pascal 256-core GPU
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
