DJI has today announced the enterprise-grade, weatherproof and durable Matrice 300 RTK drone and Zenmuse H20 series camera modules for inspections, mapping, surveys and search and rescue missions.
"With the M300 RTK flying platform and the Zenmuse H20 camera series, we are providing a safer and smarter solution to our enterprise customers," said DJI's Christina Zhang. "This solution sets an entirely new standard for industrial UAV solutions, significantly enhancing operations across public safety, law enforcement, energy, surveying and mapping as well as critical infrastructure inspections."
The M300 RTK is reported capable of staying in the air for up to 55 minutes per charge, with operators able to hotswap battery units, and a new quick charging battery hub enabling fast top ups of up to four groups of flight and controller batteries, for minimum downtime. It has a maximum speed of 23 meters-per-second, and can carry up to three payloads at the same time, up to a total weight limit of 2.7 kg (5.95 lb).
And DJI has launched a brand new camera system to go with it. Housed in IP44 splash-resistant enclosure, the Zenmuse H20 series cameras feature the company's first hybrid multi-sensor setup. The H20 comes with a 20-megapixel 23x hybrid optical zoom camera, a 12-MP wide-angle camera, and a laser range finder. And the H20T adds a radiometric thermal camera to the mix.
The M300 TRK comes with a new transmission system that allows for a triple-channel 1080p video feed to be streamed from up to 15 km (9.3 mi) away, with AES-256 encryption offering secure data transmission. There's a six direction sensing and positioning system with a 40-meter horizontal detection range for all-around obstacle avoidance chops. The drone's enclosure is IP45 weather resistant, and self-heating batteries to keeps things moving in sub-zero mission conditions.
As well as offering information such as altitude and speed, the Primary Flight Display shows in-flight obstacle data so that pilots can make adjustments if necessary. AirSense gathers flight data from nearby aircraft with ADS-B transmitters to alert pilots to potential collision risks, and DJI has also introduced a dual operator mode. This means that if the main pilot loses control, the connection drops out or the remote's battery starts to run out, a second pilot can take over all operations. And this mode could also be useful when training pilots.
Mission data can be gathered using either Smart Pin & Track or Smart Inspection modes. The former includes detection and tracking of moving objects and the ability to mark points of interest along the route and share precise location data with another operator or a ground crew. As the name suggests, the latter is geared towards inspecting oil and gas installations, power lines, railway infrastructure, and so on, and can facilitate live mission recording, data collection from exactly the same location on repeated missions, and makes up to 65,535 waypoints available for mission planning.
The M300 RTK and Zenmuse H20 series cameras are up for pre-order now, with shipping due to start in the second quarter of 2020. Pricing is yet to be announced. The video below has more.
Product pages: Matrice 300, H20 Series
