DJI launch matrice 200 industrial-grade drones for heavy duty flight

launched at this year’s mobile world congress, the matrice 200 quadcopter from DJI is set to become the little drone that could. with the growing abundance of drone technology both in professional and amateur fields, it’s understandable that in some cases, quality may be losing out in favour of quantity. not so with M200 however, as DJI offers a robust, industrial-grade unit that can weather just about anything you want to throw at it. 

the M200 series aims to be a rugged, reliable and versatile aircraft
all images courtesy of DJI

optimized for industrial inspection, mapping and surveying, DJI’s matrice 200 series is IP43 rated as waterproof and will take to the sky in light rain and freezing temperatures alike. an internal heating system ensures that batteries and sensors are kept cosy and functional, even when everything around them is icing over. while the baseline M200 model incorporates a downward facing mount, stepping up to the M210 will get you an upward facing gimbal, enabling you to document and film in trickier places such as beneath bridges. 

the M210 has an upward facing gimbal mount for filming in tricky areas

laden with over 20 sensors, the device can be controlled through DJI’s mobile app and also incorporates an ADS-B receiver, allowing it to alert you of any piloted aircraft in the vicinity. with obstacle avoidance sensors covering every side of the drone and kitted out with DJI’s FlightSense algorithm, it’s unlikely you’ll be hitting the ground any time soon. the matrice 200 will stay in the sky for up to 38 minutes, but carrying a load (up to 2kg) will whittle that down to 35. 

the unit’s ADS-B receiver will alert you to any manned aircraft in the area

the unit’s intelligent flight system offers four different modes of operation: ‘point of interest’, which sees the drone circle around a single target; ‘spotlight,’ which allows the camera to focus on a single point while the unit travels freely; ‘active track’, which locks onto a single subject and follows it; and ‘tripod’, which accurately gauges positioning and angle to set up frames and navigate in closed environments. 

the matrice 200 series is available for pre-order now and is estimated to ship in spring/summer 2017.