This year, UAVs are a hot spot. In addition to Dajiang and Yihang, Xiaomi has also entered the UAV market, but UAVs are still far away from most people. In addition to the price factor, flying skills are also a difficulty. The Dobby pocket UAV developed by Zero Intelligent Control provides opportunities for novices. This entry-level UAV is located in the self portrait, and can also achieve aerial photography at high altitude, The most important thing is that it is easy to learn, and the price is not high. I will share with you my actual experience on how this UAV performs.

Open box display

One of the characteristics of Dobby UAV is that it is small and portable. Because it uses Qualcomm mobile phone chips on the UAV, you will doubt whether it is a UAV if you get it. Its packaging box is a circle smaller than the ordinary mobile phone box, and its design style is similar to the mobile phone packaging.

There are not many accessories in the package. In addition to UAVs, batteries and charging devices are highly integrated, so that we can use them directly, eliminating complex installation procedures.

At present, the battery is a bottleneck in the short life of the UAV. Dobby is equipped with 970 mAh lithium battery. The nominal life is 9 minutes. Due to the limitations of the size and weight of the body, it is impossible to carry a larger capacity battery. However, if it is only used for self portraits, it is enough. If you want to enjoy yourself, you can buy several additional batteries on the official website.

A special charging base is required for charging. The interface of the base is a Type C interface. The manufacturer also provides a power adapter and data cable, as well as a Type C adapter, which can be fully charged in 40 minutes. It can also be connected to a mobile power supply for charging when used outside, which also makes up for the problem of small battery capacity.

The shape and color of the UAV are very familiar at first sight. Is it like a piece of soap. The folded size is 135 * 67 * 36.8mm, which is smaller than our 6-inch mobile phone.

Product details

Dobby's body is made of polycarbonate, which has the characteristics of high strength and impact resistance. The surface of pearl white is polished with glaze treatment and aviation grade paint. The round hole button in the middle of the back is the key to turn on. There is a power indicator light around. When it is turned on, a blue light flashes.

Different from other UAVs, Dobby adopts a folding mode. Its arms and propellers can be folded and hidden in the middle of the fuselage, which saves space for normal storage.

It is very convenient to carry it when you go out. One trouser pocket is enough, which is also defined as pocket drone. However, it is recommended to provide a storage bag, because the propeller is loose after folding, which will free the edge and be easy to damage. In addition, the surface of the fuselage should also be as free as possible from scratches. I now use the storage bag of a mobile hard disk, which is just the right size.

At the top end is the flying status indicator light, which is very important. The display of various lights indicates different states. Below the indicator is the cooling hole. Everyone knows the heating capacity of the Qualcomm chip. It is necessary to add a small fan to the cooling hole. If the temperature is too high, the system will remind you to refuse to fly.

Now the camera of the UAV is a key component. Dobby sells selfie, and the camera is worth paying attention to. Dobby's camera is Sony's IMX21413 million pixels. Although it is a 4k camera, it only collects 4k images. Through calculation, it outputs 1080p stable video.

Dobby The camera has six shooting angles, which are 22.5 degrees, 0 degrees, - 22.5 degrees, - 45 degrees, - 67.6 degrees, and - 90 degrees. It should be said that it covers the needs of various scenes such as head up view, overhead view, etc., but its biggest problem is that it cannot be adjusted by electric remote control, and it can only be manually adjusted before flying. In this way, when using it, it will fly to the sky to find an angle that is not satisfied, and it needs to land and readjust the angle, Time consuming and power consumption, which needs improvement.

There are many components on the chassis. The central position is the battery. The optical flow ultrasonic positioning module is for indoor positioning. There are reset keys and Micro USB interfaces. This interface is not for charging, but is connected to the computer to export data. At the bottom, we will find that there is no landing gear, which will cause friction when landing on the ground irregularly, so I cut some cushion feet of the chair and stuck them on it, which can play a very good role in protection.

This is what the boom looks like when it is unfolded. It is also unfolded by hand. Its propeller blades are not tightly fastened. During flight, it depends on the centrifugal force of the motor to open the blades. It is said that this will reduce efficiency and affect wind resistance and endurance.

Dobby uses a brushless motor. For safety reasons, it is safer to wear a protective cover, especially when flying indoors. Of course, the original product does not come with it, so you need to buy it yourself.

APP function

Dobby uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 mobile phone chip. Instead of a traditional joystick, it uses mobile APP to control the UAV. The dedicated APP (Do. Fun) is downloaded on the official website, but the specific installation will not be detailed. Dobby provides 2.4G and 5G signal sources. We try to use 5G signals to connect mobile phones, which is more stable and image transmission is clearer.

This is the main control interface of the APP. On the top is GPS positioning information and star searching number, as well as power display. On the right is a row of function keys for photographing, which can be set for photographing and video recording. On the left is a one button takeoff key. At present, it is a novice mode. After being removed, there will be function keys for handheld takeoff and landing and voice control.

In the setting interface, there are more function settings, such as head forward and backward control, signal frequency band switching, compass calibration, preview resolution setting, gesture switching, etc., which need our proficiency.

Dobby's gesture control can also be divided into left hand or right hand control accelerator according to the habit. The control mode is divided into sliding screen and body feeling. The gesture controls the plane's rise, fall, left rotation and right rotation. The control mode controls the plane's horizontal direction forward, backward and left and right translation. The initial operation is still a bit hectic and needs to be familiar with.

Preflight preparation

As an aircraft, Dobby is still dangerous. For our first test flight, we still need to find an open area, away from people, and it is best to put on a protective cover. This can not only prevent injuries to innocent people, but also effectively protect UAVs.

Compass calibration is necessary to ensure normal flight, especially for the first flight location and flight drift. The first step of compass calibration is horizontal calibration, which requires 2-3 turns.

Then there is vertical calibration. According to the change of the indicator light, only the posture is correct, which can be completed soon.

When the tail light turns blue, it indicates that the status is normal and it is ready for takeoff. Compass calibration is a bit troublesome, but necessary homework must be done in order to fly smoothly.

Hands on test flight

It is still fast to search for stars in an open place. There can be more than 10 stars in about one minute. There are two ways to take off: palm takeoff and ground takeoff, There is a novice mode in Dobby. At this time, you cannot use palm takeoff. For safety, you must fly outdoors for more than half an hour before you can release the novice mode. But now you can select it after the APP is updated.

Dobby's engine is very loud after starting, which is in contrast to its petite size. Generally, after starting, Dobby will attract the eyes around. If it is not operated, it will hover in the air at a height of 1 meter. It is relatively stable without wind.

The GPS+GLONASS dual satellite navigation adopted by DOBBY is generally in an open and interference free environment, with a control distance of 100m and a maximum wind speed of level 4. During my flight test, I was relatively stable on the whole, and occasionally drifted slightly under the influence of wind. In terms of control, I felt that the somatosensory mode was easy to master, but the amplitude was not easy to be too large, and the control was very sensitive.

The maximum outdoor lifting height can reach 50 m, which is certainly not comparable to the professional aerial camera. I think it is very high when I climb to 30 m. In addition, the air flow in the high altitude is unstable, so I did not rise again out of caution. In fact, DOBBY is mainly used for self portraits, and people who shoot at a high altitude are very small, so it is necessary to supplement aerial photography.

The 10 second short video is a feature feature of DOBBY shooting. Adjust the camera angle. DOBBY is in Do when flying Select the same video recording angle in Fun, press and hold the recording key DOBBY, and it will automatically pull away along the set angle. After 10 seconds, release the hand DOBBY to extend the track and automatically return to the starting position of video recording, and you can shoot a track video. This function is still very cool, which is similar to a blockbuster.

For landing, just press one key to land, and DOBBY will automatically land in place. Of course, it is better to land at a flat place. When the power is low, the APP will vibrate to remind you that it will automatically land in place when the remaining power is less than 20%, so that the DOBBY can not fly too far. Especially when you press the button to land, it will automatically land after dropping to about 2 meters. If the height is too high, accidents may occur.

DOBBY also has a lot of black technology things, such as the one button flip function, which is to perform aerial stunts. At present, my level is limited and I dare not try. I'm afraid that something unexpected may happen. There are also gesture interaction, face recognition, target following and other functions. These functions are very useful for shooting, but currently the APP does not support them, and we look forward to future updates.

Shooting effect

Dobby is mainly positioned to take self portraits rather than aerial photography. Without a PTZ, it relies on the three-axis electronic anti shake technology to provide stable and smooth picture quality in motion, so the performance of close range photography is good. It supports single shot, delayed shot and multiple consecutive shots. At present, I have only flown three times. Here are some photos taken, and my hands are still a little rusty, Let's see the general effect. Some videos have also been taken, but they have not been sorted and uploaded.

Experience summary

DOBBY selfie pocket drone is positioned at Xiaobai users and takes selfies from another angle. It should be said that there is still a great demand in this market. It is small and portable, easy to learn, and has many functions. It is also suitable for indoor and outdoor shooting. The imaging effect is also good, and the price is relatively friendly. It can be used as an entry-level UAV.