(Pocket-lint) – DJI has an absolutely dominant position in the commercial drone market, with a range of options and price points that you can choose from if you’re looking for something to take holiday pictures on, or shoot aerial video with.
What it hasn’t really started to conquer yet, though, is the drone racing niche of that market – where crazy-fast drones controlled using first-person view (FPV) goggles are raced around tight tracks competitively.
Last year it showed its interest by releasing a set of its own goggles, without a specific drone to tie them in with, but it looks like that racing drone is finally imminent, based on some very real looking leaked images.
Looks like spaceship!
Someone who got evaluation didn’t keep their NDA. pic.twitter.com/qyFycphly6— OsitaLV (@OsitaLV) December 2, 2020
The drone doesn’t even have a clearly-determined name from these images, unless it’s as simple as the DJI FPV, but seems like it’ll be available in a bundle with that FPV controller for convenince.
It’s a small unit that doesn’t need to bother with some of the bells and whistles of DJI’s other drones, like folding mechanisms, and it has a more distinctive shape and height to it than those others.
Overlord, this is FPV 1, requesting take off.
FPV 1 you are cleared to take off, please proceed to helipad one.
Solid copy Overlord, FPV 1 taking off at helipad one.
FPV 1, you have the sky, have nice trip, over and out.
Copy that, FPV 1 out. pic.twitter.com/GTw6A2w4mR— OsitaLV (@OsitaLV) December 2, 2020
Similarly, it seems like it’ll be controlled without a need for your phone, since the goggles make it unnecessary. Of course, we don’t have a whole host of information here, from price to specs and a likely release date, but the fact that someone’s got hold of one to fly about suggests it can’t be too far away from being unveiled now.
Whether this means that drone racing might be edging closer to the mainstream is also anyone’s guess, but clearly DJI thinks there’s something worth pursuing in it.
Writing by Max Freeman-Mills.