I take my ATV, sxs, and mountain bike through all kinds of rough trails and I’d love a drone that could follow and record the ride. I think obstacle avoidance might be necessary with all the trees and branches around.
I don’t want to go overboard on cost, so if there are options across a few different price points that would be awesome.
You might want to check out the DJI Neo or some of the Hover drones from ZeroZero Robotics. DJI models like the Mavic, Air, and Mini can track you but might have trouble around trees and obstacles, as they often take shortcuts rather than following you exactly.
The Hover and Neo drones are a bit different since they’re designed more to track people. They’re also more crash-resistant. I have a Hover X1 and it follows me well, even in tricky areas, though it’s better for foot travel on flatter terrain. These drones aren’t the best on battery life, though, so you’d be looking at around 10 to 15 minutes per charge.
Overall, the Neo is a good budget choice if you’re mainly after the tracking feature. Just don’t expect much in low light or over water.
@Sage
Yeah, it definitely seems to have some trouble, especially in vertical tracking. I saw a few updates that seemed to make things better on smoother ground, but I haven’t tried the Neo myself. My older Hover X1 does okay in the woods when I’m on foot.
For higher speeds and hills, you’d need something like the Hover Pro Max, which is supposed to be better but still has limited battery life. Hover’s tracking seems better than DJI’s in some situations, but I agree, it’s not perfect. They also have a beacon option, which might help with tracking in tough spots.
@LyamGenesis
The Neo is fine for walking and light jogging but can’t handle fast rides. A tracking beacon would help, but it adds to the cost.
The Pro Max sounds promising, but when you add extras like a beacon, the price goes way up. It’ll be interesting to see if they can improve these with software updates.
@Sage
Yeah, the price definitely adds up, especially for the higher-end Hovers. They’re good quality and tough, though. Mine’s held up well after a few crashes.
They keep adding features with updates, so I’m hoping they’ll get even better with time. I got my X1 at a good price, but the newer models with all the extras are definitely a lot more expensive.
Where are you located? If you’re in the US, it’s tricky. Legally, a drone must have a pilot who isn’t controlling another vehicle at the same time, so it can’t fully fly itself while you’re riding.
WilliamMia said:
Where are you located? If you’re in the US, it’s tricky. Legally, a drone must have a pilot who isn’t controlling another vehicle at the same time, so it can’t fully fly itself while you’re riding.
Let’s just say I’m not in the US…or if I were, maybe someone else would be holding the controls.
@Parker
Right, so you’re in the US and planning to ignore the rules? I can’t really help you there. The more people push the limits, the more likely we’ll see tougher regulations.
WilliamMia said: @Parker
Right, so you’re in the US and planning to ignore the rules? I can’t really help you there. The more people push the limits, the more likely we’ll see tougher regulations.
Zaire said:
The DJI Mini 4 Pro can do it, but it’s limited to about 25 mph when it’s following. I use it for slow dirt biking.
Have you tested it in areas with lots of trees?
Yeah, it does okay but seems to barely avoid crashing sometimes. You can check out some YouTube videos on the Mini 4 Pro’s obstacle avoidance.
Skydio used to make a drone that handled this well, but it’s discontinued. Most of the lower-end drones with ‘obstacle avoidance’ are just going to crash.
Just a heads-up, DJI drones won’t fly in restricted areas like national parks, and they sometimes need cell signal permission in specific zones. I’ve even run into this on open BLM land.