Ever wonder how drones avoid crashing into things? Modern drones come equipped with obstacle avoidance systems that help them detect and steer clear of objects in their path.
As drone technology has advanced, obstacle avoidance has become an essential feature for consumer drones to have. It allows even beginner pilots to capture stunning footage without worrying about collisions.
If you’re in the market for a new drone, you’ll want one with a robust obstacle avoidance system.
In this article, we’ll explore how obstacle avoidance works and review some of the best drones with obstacle avoidance sensors and systems.
Whether you’re a hobbyist looking to up your drone game or want to get into aerial videography, obstacle avoidance is a must-have.
Let’s take a look at how drone companies are innovating to build drones that can see and sense the world around them.
Understanding Obstacle Avoidance Sensors in Drones
To avoid obstacles, drones use a variety of high-tech sensors.
Optical sensors like cameras detect obstacles visually. High-resolution cameras capture images of the drone’s surroundings and onboard computers analyze the images to identify any objects in the flight path. If an obstacle is detected, the drone can change direction to avoid it.
Some drones use stereoscopic cameras, which use two lenses to capture 3D images and accurately gauge depth perception. More advanced drones may use LiDAR sensors, which use lasers to create 3D maps of the environment. LiDAR is very effective but also more expensive.
Ultrasonic sensors emit ultrasonic sound waves and detect the echoes that bounce off nearby objects. By measuring the time it takes for the echoes to return, the drone can calculate the distance to obstacles. Ultrasonic sensors are good for close-range detection but have limited range.
Infrared sensors detect the heat signatures of objects. They can sense obstacles even in low light conditions where optical cameras may struggle. However, they require a temperature difference between the obstacle and the surroundings to detect objects.
Using a combination of multiple sensor types, drones can safely navigate and avoid collisions. Of course, the more advanced the sensors, the higher the cost of the drone.
For most hobbyists, optical and ultrasonic sensors provide a good balance of obstacle avoidance on a budget. For more details visit Drone Guider.
How Does Obstacle Avoidance Work in Drones?
Obstacle avoidance systems use sensors like radar, sonar or cameras to detect obstacles around a drone and help it navigate safely.
How the Sensors Work?
The sensors emit signals like radio waves, sound waves or light and detect the signals that bounce back to create a map of the drone’s surroundings. Cameras capture images that are analyzed to identify obstacles. These sensors are placed on the drone, often on multiple sides, to provide a 360 degree view.
How the Obstacle Avoidance System Works?
The data from the sensors is processed by the drone’s computer to determine the location and speed of obstacles like trees, buildings, birds or other drones.
It uses this information to plot a safe path around the obstacles while still heading to its destination. The drone’s autopilot can then steer and control the speed of the motors to follow this path.
Some systems can detect obstacles up to 50 meters away, depending on the sensors used, giving the drone enough time to avoid a collision. More advanced systems fuse data from multiple sensors to improve detection accuracy and range.
The obstacle avoidance system is a key feature for drones flying autonomously beyond visual line of sight. It allows the drones to navigate safely in environments with obstacles that could otherwise result in a crash.
Of course, for the best results, you’ll want to choose a drone with high quality, reliable sensors and a robust obstacle avoidance system.
Best Drones With Obstacle Avoidance Technology
Some of the best drones now come with built-in obstacle avoidance technology, using sensors and algorithms to detect and avoid collisions. This allows for safer flying, especially for beginners, and access to more complex shots. Here are some of the top drones with obstacle avoidance:
DJI Mavic Air 2
DJI’s Mavic Air 2 is a compact yet capable drone that can detect and avoid obstacles in three directions – forward, backward and downward. Its advanced sensors map the environment around the drone up to 50m ahead.
When it detects an obstacle, it can stop, hover, or choose an alternate safe route to avoid a collision while still flying steadily. At under $1,000, the Mavic Air 2 offers fantastic value for hobbyists.
Autel EVO II
Autel’s EVO II series are high-performance drones with a maximum speed of 44 miles per hour and up to 40 minutes of flight time. The EVO II Pro has a half-inch CMOS sensor for high quality photos and videos.
It uses an infrared sensing system to detect objects up to 200 meters away in all directions, allowing it to avoid collisions at high speeds. Priced from $1,500 to $2,500, these are serious drones for professional use.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
DJI’s Mavic 2 Pro is a professional drone with a Hasselblad camera and 5-directional obstacle sensing. Its OcuSync 2.0 transmission system provides an extended maximum range of up to 8 km. ActiveTrack 2.0 allows the Mavic 2 Pro to track moving subjects autonomously while avoiding obstacles.
Although pricey at around $1,500, the Mavic 2 Pro is DJI’s most advanced folding drone with superior image quality and safety features for commercial work.
Using obstacle avoidance sensors and software, these drones can detect objects in their path and navigate around them.
The technology allows for safer automated and manual flight, enabling more complex shots and access to locations that were previously too difficult or dangerous for drones.
With options at various price points, there are obstacle avoidance drones for hobbyists, professionals and enterprise use.
Conclusion
So now you know the basics of how obstacle avoidance works in drones. Pretty cool tech that allows drones to navigate autonomously without crashing into things. If you’re looking to buy a drone with obstacle avoidance, you have some great options to choose from.
Just keep in mind that obstacle avoidance isn’t perfect, so you still need to exercise caution and follow all regulations when flying. But with the right drone and some practice, you’ll be zipping around and capturing amazing footage in no time.
The future is here, and drones are leading the way. Time to get out there and start exploring!
An excellent article on drone avoidance. The avoidance system really helps to keep your drone from crashing into things such as trees or buildings as you fly around. The system works very well when we fly drones here in Las Vegas.
Drone Safety Plan – https://skyviewlv.com/blog/drone-safety-plan/
Thanks
Bill