DJI Matrice: A Quadcopter Built for Hacking

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DJI Matrice 100

DJI Matrice 100

Today, DJI announced a new modular quadcopter platform called the Matrice 100. The drone is due out later this month and is DJI’s most customizable product yet in terms of both hardware and software.

With a base price of $3,299, the Matrice 100 is far from the entry-level DIY drone you might be hoping for. Instead, DJI is pitching the Matrice as a one-stop drone kit for corporate and academic research and development.

Matrice 100

The Matrice 100 quadcopter measures around 26″ wide diagonally — only slightly larger than their Phantom 3 drone. The unassembled kit is bundled with everything you need to fly, including a remote control, battery, an N1 flight controller system, and a unique Pro Plus GPS compass that allows for precise tracking.

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The lightweight frame is designed with customization in mind, with slots and holes for mounting additional hardware. A secondary battery expansion bay is included in the design, which if taken advantage of, extends the maximum flight time of the drone from 20 minutes to 40 minutes.

The platform of the Matrice 100 was designed for easy integration with custom accessories.
The platform of the Matrice 100 was designed for easy integration with accessories.

A range of additional ports are offered on the Matrice, including two parallel CAN ports that support DJI’s line of accessories, dual parallel UART ports for third-party connectivity, and power connections for two types of common standards (XT60, EC3).

It’s worth noting that there are no cameras included with the Matrice 100. Instead, users are expected to use their own cameras or separately purchase a camera and gimbal system from DJI.

Guidance

Of all the accessories available for the Matrice 100, the one most likely to be added to a drone developer’s shopping cart is DJI’s visual sensing system, Guidance.

DJI's Guidance accessory adds advanced visual tracking and obstacle avoidance to the Matrice 100.
DJI’s Guidance accessory adds advanced visual tracking and obstacle avoidance to the Matrice 100.

With an open SDK and a suite of ultrasonic sensors and cameras, DJI’s $999 Guidance add-on gives the Matrice 100 a method for centimeter-accurate visual positioning, even without the aid of GPS. It also provides the Matrice 100 with a robust obstacle detection and avoidance system which is essential for autonomous flight.

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A New Drone for New Markets

Over a relatively short time DJI has become a premier brand for consumer drones, with products such as the Inspire 1 and their Phantom line. But with the market quickly evolving and expanding to include unique professional and industrial uses, DJI’s traditionally closed systems limited their utility for development.

With the Matrice 100 and a new attitude towards opening up the SDKs for their flagship consumer drones, the Inspire 1 and Phantom line, DJI is clearly looking to expand its appeal beyond hobbyists.

If we are truly heading toward a future of drone-enabled services — security, delivery, parking enforcement, agricultural monitoring, and more — DJI is smart to position themselves as an ally in creating the custom hardware these niche corporate customers require.

6 thoughts on “DJI Matrice: A Quadcopter Built for Hacking

  1. MelvinRGonzalez says:

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  2. WeeRedBird says:

    When you said “A Quadcopter Built for Hacking” I thought you claiming it was designed to be used by hackers.
    Eg,
    you could land it somewhere near a public wifi spot and make it in to a
    sniffer or spoof that wifi point. Or, with that expert positioning, you
    could fly it to a mast and fiddle with the cables (like installing some
    sort of plug through connection).

    Perhaps, like the Eskimos and snow, we need more than one work to use instead of hacking. One for fiddling about like a hobbyist on a bit of kit and one for doing what the NSA do.

  3. Víctor says:

    A comparison of dev. drones http://erlerobotics.com/blog/developer-drones-comparison/. If someone is looking for a real drone for hackers check out http://erlerobotics.com/blog/product/erle-copter-ubuntu/

    1. Edith9459 says:

      I work online, working some basic jobs which only required a PC and internet access and I am so happy with it… It’s been 6 months since i started this and i got paid so far total of 36,000 bucks… Basicly i earn about $80/h and work for three to four hours most of the days.And great thing about this is that you can decide when to work yourself and for how long and you get a paycheck weekly -> If this got your attention then learn more about it here… <-

  4. MarjorieBJames says:

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  5. JohnJackson says:

    I agree with the fact that this DJI Matrice 100 let down and appears a little fifty percent assessed when compared with an accurate open-source option. This drone is prepared to fly outside the package as well as has been made to hold a camera like the well-liked GoPro.

    My own perspective is the fact that an independent drone wants to have much more safety needs included in it than the usual self-controlled one. Following a number of modifications and hacking, they developed it as an effective SMS, voice as well as data connection inception device. check out http://goo.gl/DxRqTT

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I make stuff, play music, and sometimes make stuff that plays music. Fan of donuts, Arduino, BEAM robotics, skateboarding, Buckminster Fuller, and blinking lights.

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