{"id":1267,"date":"2015-12-28T14:06:03","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T19:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canopee.io\/en\/?p=1267"},"modified":"2016-02-11T11:44:15","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T16:44:15","slug":"ventes-de-janvier-quel-petit-uav-choisir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/canopee.io\/en\/ventes-de-janvier-quel-petit-uav-choisir\/","title":{"rendered":"January sales … Which small UAV?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We often hear the question: DJI’s Phantom 3<\/a>, or 3D Robotics’s Solo<\/a>? Two very capable UAVs of the same size and roughly the same price.<\/p>\n

The Solo has better design and is better built; but, for now, the Phantom has the best camera. The Solo’s stuck with a GoPro camera \u2013 at this time, it’s the only option for this UAV that doesn’t require a hack. The Solo would surely benefit from improvements to the GoPro; but, unfortunately, that’s out of the hands of 3DR.<\/p>\n

Advantage Phantom for the payload – the camera. But what about flight and navigation; how do these small UAVs compare?<\/p>\n

Flying in visual line of sight, both perform well. Note that the radio range of the Solo is 800 m while the Phantom is 2 km. Also, for indoor flight, the Phantom benefits from an optical flow sensor for more stability.<\/p>\n

The Solo has a sizeable asset, though: its \u201cPixhawk2\u201d flight controller, backed by a no flyaway warranty from 3DR. This PX4 descendant is an open source platform of high performance. It boasts superior capabilities in processing power and memory\u2013 a must for automated missions with waypoints.<\/p>\n

With the Solo, UAV operators who have programming skills can customize many aspects of the aircraft’s flight, like with Dronecode<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The customizable nature of the Pixhawk2 – the brain of the Solo – opens possibilities. These include making changes in navigation behaviour, adding sensors, and generating real-time data analysis through computer vision. Here\u2019s an example from a recent hackathon in California on DIY Drones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Can the small Solo make the most of its amazing flight controller? Those who don’t program and who are satisfied with a GoPro should find the Solo’s flight experience exceptional; but they’ll have to rely on others in the open source comunity to unleash its full potential through updates and software additions.<\/p>\n

Unrelated to this Solo vs Phantom comparison – the big question for advanced users: will the Pixhawk2 (or whatever it will be named) be made available separately for integration in custom UAVs? Around the time the Solo was launched eight months ago, a rumour hinted that 3D Robotics would make the Pixhawk2 available by 2016. Chris Anderson, CEO of 3DR, confirmed recently that such a plan is in the works<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the end, if you are looking for a \u00ab\u00a0ready-to-fly\u00a0\u00bb drone and you like what you see in the Phantom, your choice is made. However, if you want a superior flying platform with growth potential, and you enjoy opening the hood, the Solo is worth a close look.<\/p>\n