Establishing the Leader in Consumer Drones

The easiest thing to do when a new product comes out is to compare it to the same year’s latest generation.
So when Yuneec finally released the Typhoon H with obstacle avoidance technology after several months of delays it immediately started drawing comparisons to DJI’s latest flagship product, the DJI Phantom 4.

phantom4300x200.jpg

Phantom 4

typhoonh300x225.jpg

Typhoon H

The only problem is that the Phantom 4 and Typhoon H cannot be compared at a technological level. Yes, they are both the latest drones on the market, but comparing their underlying technology is like comparing a latest generation iPhone (like the 6s) with a several generations old Nexus (like the Nexus 4).

After looking past the hype of marketing materials and staged demos, its clear that the more accurate comparison for the Typhoon H would be the DJI Phantom 3 4K.

P3_4K.png?width=750

Phantom 3 4K

Let’s break this down looking at each layer of the technology and where each product exceeds others.

 

Redundancy

The first key thing that stands out about the Typhoon H is its hexacopter form factor, which the company claims helps increase redundancy in case of motor failure and adds stability. This is not exactly a new feature – several hobby products likewise are hexacopters and can also withstand some categories of motor failures. The true innovation would be to build a stronger propulsion system, which – at least for the H – seems to be of the same hobby / toy grade as Yuneec’s current product portfolio and toy-based OEM work.

The Phantom 4, on the other hand, has integrated dual compasses and IMUs on board which will provide a more stable flight experience when flying in complex environments. It also introduced a new propulsion system that, at least it claims and so far has not been disputed, is much more reliable and integrated.

imu.jpg

The Phantom 4 also has the advantage in being a lighter aircraft, so in case of a crash it is less likely to cause significant damage than the much heavier Typhoon H.

 

Obstacle Avoidance

Speaking of crashes, both products claim to be the first on the market with obstacle avoidance – but they take completely different approaches in ensuring their crafts’ safety.

Let’s start with the more straightforward approach of the DJI Phantom 4. Using two forward-facing cameras, the Phantom 4’s sense and avoid system mimics the way human eyes work to not only identify obstacles but also is able to sense their 3D shape at a distance of up to 15m. It then creates a real-time depth map of where it is flying and uses on-board computing to calculate the best path around the obstacle. The impressive thing is that this is a really flexible system that works in a variety of real-world scenarios and on a wide variety of objects likely to be encountered in flight.

learnmorevision012d3c1f4d44b19166a27d42dda1976805.jpg?width=750

Judging by the demos at CES and CES Asia, the average observer might assume that the Typhoon H works the same way. Not quite – both of these demos were largely “simulated” (or perhaps more accurately, faked).

The obstacle avoidance on the Typhoon H as it ships uses several generations-old sonar technology, while the to-be-released Intel RealSense feature also is limited by a number of factors. I’ll tackle each of these separately.

As it ships, the Typhoon H has sonar sensors that are able to sense when it is close to object. Unfortunately this is incredibly limited. Sonar only works a short distance away – 3 – 5 meters, according to Yuneec. It also won’t work unless the obstacle is directly facing the drone (nothing at  45 degree angles) or is made of absorbant materials, like wood and leafs. So basically this is only useful when flying SLOWLY when close to only a small category of obstacles. Wouldn’t you just want to be a better pilot in these scenerios?

Typhoon H Obstacle Avoidance Testing

Now you’re thinking, well what about the Intel RealSense module? Unfortunately there’s not much better news on that front. Besides there being no clear shipping time, it’s also unclear exactly how this additional module will significantly improve avoidance. The RealSense uses only one camera and an infrared (IFR) light and sensor that helps simulate the distance to the object that it is seeing. Only, this doesn’t work outside where there is too much light, so the craft is relying on one camera which can only sense 2D objects at a limited range of six or seven meters.
So considering that the RealSense and sonar are severely limited, how did the Typhoon H avoid a falling tree at CES 2016? Simply put, they faked the demonstration using VICON positioning sensors. That’s fine for showing off a vision for the future, but unfortunately that vision won’t be available to consumers for a long time.

 

Camera

Again, a standout feature for the Typhoon H is the 360 degree camera, allowing dual operators to get the shot that they’re looking to capture. Only – dual operators are typically professionals who want high quality imaging, which the Typhoon H cannot provide.

The current CGO3+ that comes standard with the Typhoon H uses a 1/2.3” sensor standard in most action cameras. The problem, however, is in the lens which has a wide field of view (112 degrees) and a low-quality 3 element lens.

typhoonhcgo3.png

Again, there really is no comparison with the Phantom 4, which comes standard with an 8-element, 94-degree field of view lens that reduces chromatic aberration and is distortion free.

Phantom4Still131024x683.jpg?width=750

If dual operator control is important for a filmmaker, then they are more likely to use a system that lets them carry a higher-quality sensor, like the Inspire 1 Pro, which is compatible with the Micro 4/3s X5 cameras.

Inspire_1_pro.png?width=750

Controller / App

A lot has been made of the ability to use the installed Android tablet in the Typhoon H’s ST16 controller. The only problem is that the tablet used is incredibly slow – it take about 30 seconds to boot each time you turn it on. It also is bulky and not configurable to adjust for how you view the controller, meaning you can only look at it straight on – even if a direct light is shining on the screen.

The Phantom 4 is compatible with much faster latest generation smartphones, meaning you’ll be able to start, record, perform intelligent features often. You can adjust the position of the screen so it’s easier to see and doesn’t reflect light. Also this means your device is connected to the internet while you fly – allowing you to live stream or pull down, edit, and share videos without having to land the craft.

djiphantom3advancedrtf.jpg?width=750

Considering all the barriers that entry level filmmakers have to sharing video, this additional thought put into the software makes the craft much more usable for creatives on the go.

 

Portability

Folding arms are a great feature – on professional equipment transported by professional teams. If I’m going out for the weekend to the beach or traveling to some fantastic location, I want something small that is light and easily fits into a backpack with room enough for extra batteries, tablets, lenses, filters, etc.

Even folded down, the Typhoon H is considerably more bulky than the light Phantom 4.

DJIPhantom4_insidethebox1024x684.jpg?width=750

djiphantom4reviewdronewithtxcase.jpg?width=750

Stabilization

Again, there is a lot made of the hexacopter design here, but if the Typhoon H had a better gimbal the impact of drift wouldn’t be noticeable.
Where the Typhoon H really falls short is the inclusion of visual positioning sensors. Again this is supposed to be an add on released at a later date, but still this means that it ships without this key function that’s on board the Phantom 4, and even the Phantom 3 4K.

Why is visual positioning important? Well, it allows for stable hovering indoors or in areas without GPS. That might sound like an extraneous feature, but it also provides greater stability for low altitude shots even outdoors. Meaning that you’re going to have a lot more options for smooth shots with the Phantom series.

 

Transmission

It was almost three years ago that DJI released a built-in WiFi transmission device for pulling down HD video. The original DJI transmission technology, which is still on the Phantom 3 4K, ran on 2.4Ghz, meaning that it can travel far and is less likely to break up when interrupted by trees, buildings or other obstacles. The Yuneec Typhoon H uses a 5.8Ghz Wifi signal, meaning that it is actually worse in terms of transmission distance than DJI’s first foray into HD video streaming. Their stated distance for transmission is 1km, but it has only tested reliably at a few hundred meters, so far.
The Phantom 4, on the other hand, includes DJI’s Lightbridge technology that transmits low latency HD video at distances up to 5km. While that might not sound important to most people (who fly within visual line of sight), it does mean that the signal is going to be more robust in harsher frequency environments.

LIGHTBRIDGE1024x576.jpg?width=750

Smart Functions

All of the key features – Point of Interest, Waypoints, Follow Me – for smart shooting that the Typhoon H claims are already available on last year’s drones, including the entry level Phantom 3 Standard.

The addition of the Wizard controller, that allows for pointing in the direction you want to fly, are highly inaccurate. The shots created with this tool are not controlled to the same degree that manually flown shots are, so the ease of use is novel, but useless. Meanwhile it’s Follow Me function does reduce the need to use the big controller for “Follow Me” shots, but it still relies on GPS meaning that the craft will follow the device without keeping the subject in frame. Again, this is pretty pointless for those wanting to get just the right shot.

The Phantom 4, on the other hand, has highly advanced computer vision based features that make getting great shots so easy, that a 3 year old can get professional-quality images simply by tapping the direction he wants to fly.

DJI’s Phantom 4: a drone so smart a three-year-old can fly it

Likewise, the “Active Track” follow me function uses computer vision to keep the subject framed in the shot no matter how they move around – all without having to carry an additional device. This means any moving subject can be filmed easily and framed professionally.

 

Price

Given that all the technology on board the Typhoon H is essentially last year’s Typhoon Q500 4K with a few extras, you would imagine that it would be priced more competitively. Nevertheless the Typhoon H is going for $1,299 (down from $1,799 at CES), while the Phantom 3 4K is sold at $ 799 and has more or less the same technology on board.

At least they updated the design to make the whole thing look a bit cooler than the older Typhoon series!

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Email me when people reply –

Activity