DJI's Matrice 200 drone takes flight

Last week DJI hosted a unique demonstration in Melbourne for audience members to experience the new Matrice 200 drone at work.

DJI is the world leader in unmanned aerial technology and pride itself on making drone technology an affordable and easy-to-use tool for enterprises.

During this exciting event, audience members discovered how the Matrice 200 is purpose-built for professional users to perform aerial inspections and collect data. They were also given detailed advice as to how the drone can impact the workflow for companies in construction, agriculture, infrastructure development, inspection work and even search and rescue missions.

"Drones have quickly become a standard part of the enterprise toolkit and industrial users have come to rely on DJI technology to efficiently collect aerial data," says Paul Guo, Director Enterprise Solutions at DJI.

"With the M200 series, DJI introduces a holistic solution designed specifically for these users," he says.

"We are revolutionising professional workflows by making it possible to use advanced sensors in various combinations to make sophisticated tasks such as bridge inspections, land surveying and search-and-rescue missions, easier, safer and more reliable than ever before."

The M200 series is available in three models: the M200, M210 and M210 RTK. The models range from $8000 to $23,000 plus GST, which – says DJI – is approximately a third of the cost of competitor platforms in this segment.

In terms of portability, the Matrice 200 series’ folding body is easy to carry and set up, with a weather-and water-resistant body. The drone is compatible with DJI's X4S and X5S cameras, as well as the high-powered Z30 zoom camera and the XT camera for thermal imaging.

It pairs with DJI Goggles, displaying an 85-degree view from the drone in full 1080p for a bird's-eye view of the land below.

With a dual battery set-up, the M200 platform can fly for up to 35 minutes with a mounted camera. The drone is equipped with more than 20 internal sensors for maximum redundancy and reliability, including a compass, GPS system, dual inertial measurement units (IMUs) and three barometers.

The M200 is essentially a rugged platform designed to handle tough conditions and endure adverse environments.

"What we essentially want to do is pull workers out of dirty, dangerous areas and put a remote control in their hands so they can use drones to capture the data they need," says Jan Gasparic, Head of Enterprise Partnership at DJI.

"We really saw a need for a product which is robust, but flexible enough to put it the back of a truck and grab it whenever you need it. The Matrice 200 is by far DJI's most versatile platform."

The M200 is most useful for public safety, and with a top-mounted gimbal pilot the drone can fully inspect bridges, allowing construction teams to plan maintenance schedules. With the stable and weather-resistant M200 platform, extensive power line networks can be investigated, while vertical infrastructure such as wind turbines and offshore oil rigs can be inspected from all angles.

The drone also provides situational awareness of potentially dangerous situations such as fires and natural disasters. Incident commanders can use data collected by the M200 to make smarter decisions and protect life and property.

While the Matrice 200 is highly useful for the construction and inspection industry, it can also be leveraged in the agriculture industry and help with precision agriculture by combining visual and multispectral cameras for quicker crop scouting.

The drone offers remote sensing with visual, thermal and NIR imagery and farmers can better understand their crops, react to pests or dangers and maximise yields. If you'd like to use a drone for spraying, DJI recommends you opt for the Agras Mg-1, which it says is a more efficient way to spray pesticides than other methods.

For more advanced farms, DJI says combining the two drones will enable farmers to drastically reduce inputs by having drone maps (M200) to precisely spray (MG-1) so that farmers keep profits at a maximum.

For more information visit www.dji.com/matrice-200-series/.